By James Wells
SYDNEY: Sunbeam chief executive officer Jonathan (Jack) Lord has unexpectedly left the company after 10 years in which he has overtaken Breville as the market leading brand in the Australian small appliance market.
In an exclusive interview with Current.com.au today, Lord said he has left the company on reasonable terms.
“There is no animosity and it is a very mutually agreeable separation,” Lord said.
“I’ve been very lucky to work at Sunbeam for the past 10 years. I am very proud of the results we have achieved. I am leaving the company with a record profit and an all time highest market share, but it is time to move on.
“I’m going to take a little break from the industry. I’ll take some time to work out what my next challenge may be. It is a positive move for me and I’m looking forward to taking some time off after a pretty intense 10 years.
“When things happen quickly, people jump to conclusions. I’m very happy with the outcome and GUD have treated me very well over the years. I’ve been given a lot of freedom and I’ve run the business the way I’ve wanted to run it.”
Lord did shed some light on one of the reasons for his departure, saying: “GUD are concerned for the environment in the future”.
“It is time to look for some new challenges. It has been 10 years since I joined Sunbeam with six years as CEO when we moved to Botany,” he said.
Lord started with the company in a commercial role in operations and finance. Prior to joining Sunbeam, Lord worked for listed giftware company Skansen for two years and prior to this worked at Braun in 1994 and 1995 with current Fisher & Paykel sales director, Jeff Canham.
“It is always sad to leave a company, particularly when you have a lot of respect for the people you work with. I am happy to be leaving on really good terms. I had a very passionate and committed group and we have had a lot of fun in our business. I’m very proud of the group and I hope they are very successful,” he said.