By Business Wire, March 06, 2013, 08:30:00 AM EDT
Cerda to lead global sales, marketing and product development for
fast-growing consumer robots business
BEDFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
iRobot
Corp. (NASDAQ:IRBT), a leader in delivering robotic
technology-based solutions, today announced that Christian Cerda has
joined the company as senior vice president and general manager of its Home
Robots business unit, effective immediately. Leveraging his
significant consumer, retail channel and global experience, Cerda will
build on Home Robots' successful domestic and international expansion
and product development. He will report directly to Jeff Beck, chief
operating officer.
iRobot ( IRBT ) appoints Christian Cerda as senior vice president and general manager of the home robots business unit. (Photo: Business Wire)
Having sold more than 9 million robots worldwide, iRobot's award winning
line of home robots includes the iRobot Roomba® vacuum
cleaning robot, iRobot Scooba® floor washing robot, iRobot
Mirra® pool cleaning robot and iRobot Looj™ gutter
cleaning robot.
"In 2012, the Home Robot business had a phenomenal year with revenue
increasing 28 percent from the previous year. In 2013, the business unit
is expected to grow roughly 20 percent through continued adoption of
home robots globally," said Jeff Beck, chief operating officer of
iRobot. "Christian's extensive international and retail channel
experience will be a valuable asset to iRobot's continued growth through
expanded distribution of new products, deeper penetration of existing
markets and further expansion into Latin America and China."
Cerda brings 16 years of international leadership experience with
Fortune 500 companies and comes to iRobot from Whirlpool,
where he most recently served as General Manager of one of the company's
most important sales channels. At Whirlpool, Cerda held a number of
roles across their global footprint and was responsible for sales,
marketing, brand communications, product development and operations.
Prior to Whirlpool, Cerda held senior roles at The Boston Consulting
Group and Procter and Gamble. Cerda holds a B.S. in Computer Engineering
from Universidad Simon Bolivar and an MBA from the Northwestern
University Kellogg Graduate School of Management.
"It is an honor to join a company that created an entire consumer
product category and works hard to find new ways to exceed its
customers' expectations," said Cerda. "I look forward to contributing to
iRobot's future success by leveraging my experience to grow the category
through expanded brand visibility, continued development of high quality
robots and improved operational performance."
About iRobot Corp.
iRobot designs and builds robots that make a difference. The company's
home robots help people find smarter ways to clean, and its defense &
security robots protect those in harm's way. iRobot's consumer and
military robots feature iRobot Aware® robot intelligence systems,
proprietary technology incorporating advanced concepts in navigation,
mobility, manipulation and artificial intelligence. For more information
about iRobot, please visit www.irobot.com.
For iRobot Investors
Certain statements made in this press release that are not based on
historical information are forward-looking statements which are made
pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This press release contains express or
implied forward-looking statements relating to, among other things,
iRobot Corporation's expectations concerning management's plans,
objectives and strategies. These statements are neither promises nor
guarantees, but are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties,
many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results
to differ materially from those contemplated in these forward-looking
statements. Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to
place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak
only as of the date hereof. iRobot Corporation undertakes no obligation
to update or revise the information contained in this press release,
whether as a result of new information, future events or circumstances
or otherwise. For additional disclosure regarding these and other risks
faced by iRobot Corporation, see the disclosure contained in our public
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including, without
limitation, our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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Source: iRobot Corp.