New boss

[Phil Crean]

https://photoarchivenews.com/news/industry-people-alamy-appoints-new-ceo-james-west-moves-chair/

 

Phil

[Allan Bell]

 

Lets hope that Andy Harding listens to the contributors as well as the customers.

 

Allan

 

 

[wiskerke]

1 minute ago, geogphotos said:

Good news. I posted recently about what was happening at the top now that James is busy with other things.

 

I'm pleased to see an industry outsider who will bring fresh ideas

 

As always: be careful what you wish for.

;-)

wim

[vpics]

Welcome.

I'm sure he'll find out quickly enough, that we're not just suppliers of some goods but vulnerable artists who are very precious about our work. 

[Bill Brooks]

1 minute ago, LawrensonPhoto said:

" I am looking forward to the challenge of taking the business into new markets "

Pretty obvious where we're going with this statement!!!

 

Just what we were talking about in another thread.

No matter how well run a company is, it can always use fresh insight. Also a sign of a healthy company.

[imageplotter]

7 minutes ago, LawrensonPhoto said:

" I am looking forward to the challenge of taking the business into new markets "

Pretty obvious where we're going with this statement!!!

yep *putshandovermouth 

 

 

[Joseph Clemson]

'...developing innovative solutions as to how new customer demands will be met..' That doesn't sound to me like heralding greater rewards for the contributor. I'd like to be proved wrong but I am somewhat fearful of this change.

[Craig Yates]

The business must be in good shape to add someone to the payroll bill.

Lets hope he makes positive decisions that benefit both Alamy and it's contributors.

 

Craig.

[Bill Brooks]

I was once with an agency that experienced rapid total sales growth.

 

Just being a contributor to the agency meant my sales total was dragged upwards, at the same rate as the agency total. Right place at the right time.

 

Alamy has 100 million images. If the new guy can drag the overall return per image upwards, then that should benefit all contributors.

[M.Chapman]

This is the statement I was pleased to see

 

James West says:  “Alamy has been enjoying startup levels of growth these past couple of years, so after 18 years at the helm it felt like the right time to go shopping for a new CEO.
 

It's a highly competitive market, and it's reassuring to hear that Alamy seem to be more than keeping their heads above water, (assuming their profits are growing too).  I look forward to seeing their financial report for 2016, which should come out pretty soon now.

 

Mark

[Brian Yarvin]

3 hours ago, geogphotos said:

I think it is a great move to hire somebody well regarded from retail rather than computing/software. It suggests that Alamy will focus more on actually selling rather than fiddling with the technology.

To me, this focus on selling and customer service is Alamy's real strength. 

[Southmind]

2 hours ago, GS-Images said:

 

That's typical business talk I'm afraid, which could be read to mean absolutely anything, but usually it seems to be a way to hide something negative. Let's hope I'm wrong though. I hope the new guy has the authority to make things happen and look deeper into various problems and actually do something about them rather than pushing them under the carpet.

 

"I am looking forward to the challenge of taking the business into new markets".

 

Definitely a worry, but clearly some will be delighted.

 

Geoff.

 

I see your point.. and after more than 10 years in MS , I know what happens for contributors when their business  goes into "new" markets. 

Just hope the new markets of Alamy will be different from the old_new_dead markets of MS.

Hope I am dead wrong.

[John Mitchell]

I'd really like to see a bigger presence in North American markets. Hopefully, that will be a priority. Can't see why Alamy would want to get into the "m word" market. Doesn't make sense given that photographers are apparently fleeing MS agencies in search of higher ground.

 

 

[Inchiquin]

I've seen it all before. Dynamic innovative UK company tries to crack the American market and fails. Develops new, exciting and innovative products but doesn't have the size and financial clout to compete with the big boys. Eventually hires new CEO from outside the industry who promptly sells all the company's assets to the highest bidder and walks off into the sunset with a huge bonus, leaving all the loyal suppliers, some of whom like me have supported the company for years and helped to make it what it was, shafted without gratitude.

 

Let's hope this is a different scenario.

 

Alan

[Martin Carlsson]

We're talking about a CEO - he's merely tasked with whatever the board choose to ask him to do strategically. There are no real assets at Alamy to divest, it ain't a conglomerate.

 

Embrace change. Going microstock doesn't make any sense, but others (Ian?) suggesting that in part going after/converting genuine micro-uses is valid, so is to try and squeeze/wedge/force Alamy into all the cracks that appear around us in the industry - the industry is in flux, big names are shaking, there's going to be a change in the landscape. Alamy has been very good at stability and being sensible, I don't think that will change. Change is exciting.

[Joe Gaul]

Like others here I have reservations about someone who appears to be a marketing and IT journeyman running a media licencing company, and am apprehensive of the motives for such a choice. However all we can do is wait to see how it pans out and hope for the best.

He could increase profits and contributor goodwill quite easily by policing usage and shoplifting of our images. I'm sure an enforcement team would more than pay for itself especially if unreported usage was surcharged.

[Martin Carlsson]

21 minutes ago, Joe Gaul said:

Like others here I have reservations about someone who appears to be a marketing and IT journeyman running a media licencing company, and am apprehensive of the motives for such a choice. However all we can do is wait to see how it pans out and hope for the best.

He could increase profits and contributor goodwill quite easily by policing usage and shoplifting of our images. I'm sure an enforcement team would more than pay for itself especially if unreported usage was surcharged.

 

Both thumbs up for bold part.

[Bill Brooks]

Alamy is now mainly Alamy to business. A very big breakthrough would be Alamy to consumer. There are so many consumers.

He starts in December, we will know by the following June.

[Foreign Export]

On 9/12/2017 at 03:21, geogphotos said:

I think it is a great move to hire somebody well regarded from retail rather than computing/software. It suggests that Alamy will focus more on actually selling rather than fiddling with the technology.

 

i agree

[Phil]

On 9/13/2017 at 16:07, Bill Brooks said:

Alamy is now mainly Alamy to business. A very big breakthrough would be Alamy to consumer. There are so many consumers.

He starts in December, we will know by the following June.

 

Lets hope he doesn't try to make Alamy the Wal-Mart of stock libraries.  WM is notorious for squeezing their suppliers for the very lowest prices.

 

 

[Martin P Wilson]

2 hours ago, Phil said:

 

Lets hope he doesn't try to make Alamy the Wal-Mart of stock libraries.  WM is notorious for squeezing their suppliers for the very lowest prices.

 

 

 

As do pretty well all of the supermarkets, ask a farmer! They buy milk at less than cost of production; they can because there is, currently, over-supply. Sound familiar ?

 

[Martin Carlsson]

Regarding "New Boss" - we're talking about a new CEO for Alamy, so let's not forget, he's not our "boss". If anyone should feel pressured it's him, we're here on our own accord and can leave if it doesn't suit us, he needs to deliver the goods - so I would like to think that mutual satisfaction is key to the best possible future for Alamy. 

 

Anyhow, many people admittedly or not, have issues coping with change, often leading to wild speculations and stressing themselves out over things they can't control. Best advice is as always, chill, breathe, get on with things and try to remember that the end is not near and that change is natural, often a good thing, much preferred over a lull. I went through a pretty big merger in my past life as an investment banker (Chase Manhattan Bank & JPMorgan). The process was long, unsettling, friends/colleagues "disappearing" on a frequent basis and not knowing if one would have a box or not (read job) after every re-structuring was hmm interesting. Many took comfort in the then timely released book below - should still be relevant and applicable.

 

 

You can get the gist of the book at the link at the end, a thoroughly recommended read. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Moved_My_Cheese%3F

[Southmind]

2 hours ago, Martin Carlsson said:

Regarding "New Boss" - we're talking about a new CEO for Alamy, so let's not forget, he's not our "boss". If anyone should feel pressured it's him, we're here on our own accord and can leave if it doesn't suit us, he needs to deliver the goods - so I would like to think that mutual satisfaction is key to the best possible future for Alamy. 

 

Anyhow, many people admittedly or not, have issues coping with change, often leading to wild speculations and stressing themselves out over things they can't control. Best advice is as always, chill, breathe, get on with things and try to remember that the end is not near and that change is natural, often a good thing, much preferred over a lull. I went through a pretty big merger in my past life as an investment banker (Chase Manhattan Bank & JPMorgan). The process was long, unsettling, friends/colleagues "disappearing" on a frequent basis and not knowing if one would have a box or not (read job) after every re-structuring was hmm interesting. Many took comfort in the then timely released book below - should still be relevant and applicable.

 

 

You can get the gist of the book at the link at the end, a thoroughly recommended read. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Moved_My_Cheese%3F

 

Funny. Years ago the company I was working in, was bought out by investors and we had a new CEO. The first thing he did was to offer every manager this book. A year later, we all knew who had stung our cheese... The company has filed for bankruptcy and the technology gone in China. The employees left in the trash. The only thing I agree with is not to stress for things we do not control. Change is sometimes better but not always...

[Steve UK]

The problem with a retailer is there first instinct is to chase market share. I feel Alamy is less a retailer and more like a broadcaster or publisher.

[Martin Carlsson]

21 minutes ago, Southmind said:

 

Funny. Years ago the company I was working in, was bought out by investors and we had a new CEO. The first thing he did was to offer every manager this book. A year later, we all knew who had stung our cheese... The company has filed for bankruptcy and the technology gone in China. The employees left in the trash. The only thing I agree with is not to stress for things we do not control. (1) Change is sometimes better but not always...

 

But it is inevitable in business, standing still ain't an option - so it would be foolish to try and stop progression, good or bad - roll with it, step off, whatever, but fighting it - pointless. IMHO of course.