Those fish tacos and Coronas on the beaches of Maui will have to wait a little longer for Ron Camden, who has reversed course on his long-planned retirement and decided to stay with Biamp Systems as VP of sales for the Americas until the company finds his successor.
About six months after telling Biamp leadership about his plans to retire at the end of 2017, Camden will stay with the company he joined 30 years ago and help new president, CEO and chairman Rashid Skaf find the person to whom he’ll eventually hand the sales baton for the Portland, Ore.-based manufacturer. [related]
“I didn’t know whether he had someone in mind [for the position] that he couldn’t talk about [until the sale was completed],” says Camden, 65. “I was a little surprised and flattered, but it’s nice to know he understands the importance of a smooth transition.”
Skaf took over leadership at Biamp last month after Highlander Partners bought the company.
“Ron is an institution within Biamp, possessing an incredible depth of knowledge and demonstrating leadership and commitment to service that have earned the respect of customers and competitors alike,” said Skaf in a Biamp press release announcing Camden’s decision.
“He led the sales team through periods of unprecedented growth, and as we enter our next chapter, his leadership and input to identifying his replacement will be key.”
Camden has been part of the search committee for his replacement, but emphasized during an exclusive interview with CI this fall he was ready for someone else to “take the company to a whole new level.”
There’s no timetable for how long Camden’s retirement is delayed, but he’s planning a trip to Hawaii with his wife in March. In the meantime, he’ll attend ISE 2018 in February, where he’ll be part of announcements related to the Global Presence Alliance and the PSNI Global Alliance.
“There was nothing magical about the 2nd of January [as a retirement date],” says Camden. “Nobody at Biamp is as close to [GPA and PSNI] as I am, so I’m pumped to have the opportunity to get some of those things established at ISE.”
Graeme Harrison will handle global sales efforts for Biamp, while Ron Camden will focus on the Americas until the company finds his successor.
“[The new hire] has to be the right person for our customer base,” he says. “There’s nothing more important than our customers.”
