I have just heard the disappointing news Charlie Henderson is no longer the Managing Director at Naim Audio and he is not going to be replaced but instead British Naim Audio will be run from France, surely the very last thing Julian would ever have imagined or wanted. Am I being over sensitive or do others feel the total devastation I do?
Really ?
HI, where did you hear this news from?
Yes, damn it!
In short, no. I don’t think it’s anything to panic about. Yes, Charlie is stepping down, a little earlier than planned, but mainly I think because he’s done what he set out to do; re-organise Naim, make sure the right people are in the right places, and put the company on a sure footing for the next few years. Oh, and of course, the company is in better health than ever, with sales figures that are exceptionally strong, so I think he leaves with his head held high.
For what it’s worth I’ve seen the plans for going forward that he has enacted and it’s very exciting on the product front. Of course, I can’t say any more on that score, so you’ll just have to wait and see…
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Fuel for the rumour thread!!
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My lips are sealed. 
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Looking at Companies House I see that Charlie became a director on 25 February 2019, exactly two years ago today.
Are you able to shed any light on the management arrangements - the ‘run from France’ thing in particular - in order to put minds at rest. Will the post of MD be replaced, or will Clare be leading? Aside from Charlie, the only other officer is Vervent Audio Group. It all looks a bit weird.
Ah-ha! Some form of Naim glue, clearly… to stick boxes to the Fraim for better coupling, no doubt.
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I guess l like many on the forum was hoping for long term leadership of Naim, not a constant churn at the top, which is never good in the long run.
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At a board level both Naim and Focal have been run by the Vervent board for quite some time, so on that score there’s no real change. I think it’s mainly about taking out some vertical structure, consolidating where desirable to do so, more co-operation and giving department heads a bit more responsibility.
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Sorry Richard, I have been buying Naim for 40 years and no amount of gloss makes this a good thing in my eyes. Naim run from France, No thanks!
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If you look at Charlie’s linked in bio you will see the sort of expertise and experience he has. He never really looked like a long term leader in the style of Julian or Paul. Probably not exciting enough for him. Move in, shake it up and then leave before anything goes tits up. It’s all too common.
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and keeping the business in the uk too…
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Naim official press release
No doubt Focal will now issue an official statement on the forum which will include a reassurance to Naim customers of Focal’s long term commitment to Naim’s R&D and product support.
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New management but the same engineers creating the products we love, I would hope. Hopefully the change doesn’t negatively affect their ongoing support and service for older Naim products–one of the things I love and value most about the company. You rarely see that these days.
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Yes, i was just looking at that.
I know we’re not in the EU anymore, but hopefully we will remain on good terms and trade normality will return in due course…
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Clare is of course very much with us at a group level. Group President is Cedrick Boutonet, who I believe is a big music lover, Naim user and fan and also I’m reliably informed, loves 70s funk and soul in particular (which is all good as far as I’m concerned).
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