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“The Board of Games Workshop is pleased to announce the appointment of Kevin Rountree as Chief Executive Officer with effect from 1 January 2015.
Tom Kirby, Chairman and Acting Chief Executive Officer, will take up the position of Non-Executive Chairman with effect from that date.
Kevin, 45, joined Games Workshop in 1998. He is currently Chief Operating Officer of the Company. Commenting on the appointment, Tom Kirby said: “The Board undertook a thorough process in selecting our new CEO, receiving a significant number of applications for the position, both internal and external. Kevin was the outstanding candidate.
The board congratulates Kevin on his appointment and wishes him every success in his new role.”"
For those of you concerned about the financial health of our company, you can look forward to...more of the same!
Congrats GW. This is great news!
Kirasu: Have we fallen so far that we are excited that GW is giving us the opportunity to spend 58$ for JUST the rules? Surprised it's not "Dataslate: Assault Phase"
AlexHolker: "The power loader is a forklift. The public doesn't complain about a forklift not having frontal armour protecting the crew compartment because the only enemy it is designed to face is the OHSA violation."
AlexHolker: "Allow me to put it this way: Paramount is Skynet, reboots are termination attempts, and your childhood is John Connor."
No he's not. He's totally not. He's only taking the title of a chairman that happens to own the largest amount of stock in the company. CEOs still answer to the stockholders, and in a sense, Kirby has quite the sway over the CEO.
We find comfort among those who agree with us - growth among those who don't. - Frank Howard Clark
The wise man doubts often, and changes his mind; the fool is obstinate, and doubts not; he knows all things but his own ignorance.
The correct statement of individual rights is that everyone has the right to an opinion, but crucially, that opinion can be roundly ignored and even made fun of, particularly if it is demonstrably nonsense!” Professor Brian Cox
Hm, it's not cronyism to promote within the company.. It's actually the correct way to do things usually. Promoting your relative from outside the company or from way outside their expertise level is cronyism.
Keeper of the DomBox
Warhammer Armies - Click to see galleries of fully painted armies
32,000, 19,000, Renegades - 10,000 , 7,500,
Kirasu wrote: Hm, it's not cronyism to promote within the company.. It's actually the correct way to do things usually. Promoting your relative from outside the company or from way outside their expertise level is cronyism.
Please, everyone who was paying attention knew this is what would happen, it just wasn't possible to say exactly who amongst Kirby's lieutenants would be chosen.
It may be that Kev was the best qualified, but it doesn't also mean he's also a Kirby yes man and that this appointment is meaningless in terms of any likely change to GW's approach.
I mean, this sort of corporate nepotism goes on literally every day, but when it is so obvious it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/11/11 16:06:32
We find comfort among those who agree with us - growth among those who don't. - Frank Howard Clark
The wise man doubts often, and changes his mind; the fool is obstinate, and doubts not; he knows all things but his own ignorance.
The correct statement of individual rights is that everyone has the right to an opinion, but crucially, that opinion can be roundly ignored and even made fun of, particularly if it is demonstrably nonsense!” Professor Brian Cox
The real question is who is replacing Kevin Rountree as CFO and COO? Or does he now have the responsibilities of three c-level executives?
This guy is definitely going to keep things going on the current path. He was in charge of both the company's financials and their day to day operations for quite some time. And now he's also in charge of everything.
As they say, one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
So what should we expect from here?
Higher prices on new releases
Continuing to decline available opponent pool
Surprise edition updates
Dividends per share at higher than earnings per share
Negligible reinvestment into the company
More stores reduced to single employee operations
Less product available to independent trade "partners"
Falling revenue and declining volume
More market share for the competitors
Balance in pick up games? Two people, each with their own goals for the game, design half a board game on their own without knowing the layout of the board and hope it all works out. Good luck with that. The faster you can find like minded individuals who want the same things from the game as you, the better.
While not surprised at an internal position, the fact they chose yet another accounts man (wasn't Kirby the same way?) shows that they don't think anything is wrong with the current trend.
Now there is a glimmer of hope that Kevin Rountree, being only 45 years old, isn't completely out of touch with the 21st century or modern business practices. A small glimmer, but a glimmer nonetheless since unless Kirby was refusing to listen to anyone else (unlikely but not outside the realm of possibility) then Rountree is aware of what was going on and is okay with it or even encouraged it.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/11/11 17:00:41
Kirby was worse than an accounts man, prior to joining GW, he was a tax man.
We find comfort among those who agree with us - growth among those who don't. - Frank Howard Clark
The wise man doubts often, and changes his mind; the fool is obstinate, and doubts not; he knows all things but his own ignorance.
The correct statement of individual rights is that everyone has the right to an opinion, but crucially, that opinion can be roundly ignored and even made fun of, particularly if it is demonstrably nonsense!” Professor Brian Cox
So, what I'm gathering from this news is that we can look forward to someone picking up the 40K IP in three years when GW tanks, right?
Emperor's Eagles (undergoing Chapter reorganization)
Caledonian 95th (undergoing regimental reorganization)
Thousands Sons (undergoing Warband re--- wait, are any of my 40K armies playable?)
squidhills wrote: So, what I'm gathering from this news is that we can look forward to someone picking up the 40K IP in three years when GW tanks, right?
No way. How can you say that? It'll be two years at most.
Glad to see that nothing has changed. We knew this would happen. I do hope that changes will be made, but I'd be lying if I said that I'm expecting any.
"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake." -Napoleon
squidhills wrote: So, what I'm gathering from this news is that we can look forward to someone picking up the 40K IP in three years when GW tanks, right?
Yea, pretty much. Roundtree is not anything new. He's been the CFO and COO, so the direction GW has been heading in over the last five plus years has his fingerprints all over it. It is a double down internal promotion. If Roundtree wasn't executing Kirby's policies, he wouldn't have been in the positions he's been in.
Kirasu: Have we fallen so far that we are excited that GW is giving us the opportunity to spend 58$ for JUST the rules? Surprised it's not "Dataslate: Assault Phase"
AlexHolker: "The power loader is a forklift. The public doesn't complain about a forklift not having frontal armour protecting the crew compartment because the only enemy it is designed to face is the OHSA violation."
AlexHolker: "Allow me to put it this way: Paramount is Skynet, reboots are termination attempts, and your childhood is John Connor."
OrlandotheTechnicoloured wrote: Commenting on the appointment, Tom Kirby said: “The Board undertook a thorough process in selecting our new CEO,
Translation: We drew straws.
Kevin was the outstanding candidate.
Translation: He drew the short straw.
"Through the darkness of future past, the magician longs to see.
One chants out between two worlds: Fire, walk with me." - Twin Peaks
"You listen to me. While I will admit to a certain cynicism, the fact is that I am a naysayer and hatchetman in the fight against violence. I pride myself in taking a punch and I'll gladly take another because I choose to live my life in the company of Gandhi and King. My concerns are global. I reject absolutely revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method... is love. I love you Sheriff Truman." - Twin Peaks
Six mistakes mankind keeps making century after century: Believing that personal gain is made by crushing others; Worrying about things that cannot be changed or corrected; Insisting that a thing is impossible because we cannot accomplish it; Refusing to set aside trivial preferences; Neglecting development and refinement of the mind; Attempting to compel others to believe and live as we do
Thirdeye wrote: No real change in the stock price since the announcement. Apparently the investors are equally unimpressed.
If a forum of gaming geeks figured out weeks and weeks ago that it was going to be an internal promotion, professional equity analysts just might have been able to come to the same conclusion. Which would mean that the announcement has already been baked into the current stock price. No surprises = no change.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/11/11 18:35:26
11527pts Total (7400pts painted)
4980pts Total (4980pts painted)
3730 Total (210pts painted) 
Renegades - 
Cratfworld Alaitoc (
Order of the Red Mantle (
Emperor's Eagles (undergoing Chapter reorganization)
Caledonian 95th (undergoing regimental reorganization)
Thousands Sons (undergoing Warband re--- wait, are any of my 40K armies playable?) 
& 
(less)