EFI appoints new CEO

EFI has appointed Bill Muir as its new chief executive officer.

Muir, who was most recently chief operating officer of $22bn-turnover manufacturing services company Jabil, will start in the role and join EFI’s board of directors on 15 October.

He succeeds Guy Gecht, who announced in July that he intended to step down after more than 18 years in the role. Gecht will remain a member of the board of directors and will be an advisor to the chief executive.

"Bill is going to take EFI to the next level. At Jabil his experience and track record included scaling multi-billion dollar businesses, driving execution and setting the firm’s strategic direction,” said Gecht.

“This background uniquely prepares him to be the next CEO of EFI. I look forward to watching him lead EFI and helping him in any way he chooses as the company continues to lead the digital transformation of industries globally where colourful images matter."

Chairman of EFI’s board Gill Cogan added: “In conducting a comprehensive search for the next CEO, the board had the opportunity to speak with many highly skilled, strong leaders.

“Bill was our first choice, as his experience in managing a global manufacturing organisation, track record in execution and leadership style most closely matched the characteristics we sought to successfully lead EFI in its next stage of growth, building on the legacy that Guy established over the last 20 years.

“I would like to once again convey the board’s gratitude to Guy for his outstanding leadership, overseeing the transformation of EFI and driving the company’s rapid growth to over $1 billion [£767m] in annual revenues.”

Muir said he was “honoured and humbled” to join EFI.

"I have developed a deep admiration for the culture of courageous innovation, technical leadership and customer care, and I look forward to leading our exceptional team as we work tirelessly to delight our customers and create shareholder value.”

Muir held various leadership roles at Jabil, which has more than 100 facilities and 170,000 employees worldwide and serves a wide range of industries, ranging from automotive, retail and telecommunications through to print and packaging.

The company’s print manufacturing arm engineers and builds industrial printers, mechanical and touchscreen controls, cartridges, automatic document feeders, scanners and other print components.

Muir left Jabil at the end of 2017. He had joined the company in 1992 as a quality engineer and later held roles including regional president of Asia and chief executive of its then $14bn global manufacturing services division. He had moved into his most recent position of chief operating officer in 2013.

Muir will join EFI’s Q3 earnings call, which is scheduled to take place on 29 October. In its Q2 results the company recorded a year-on-year sales increase of 6% to $261m but its operating profit fell by 8% to $29.8m.