Alon Bar-Shany, the charismatic and thought-provoking general manager of HP Indigo for the past 15 years, is leaving the company with fellow HP veteran US-based Haim Levit named as his successor.
The news of Bar-Shany’s departure was first reported by Israeli technology publication, CTech, with a HP spokesperson later confirming the news of Bar-Shany’s departure and Levit’s appointment to Sprinter.
CTech is also reporting the reason for Bar-Shany’s departure was that he did not agree with a plan by HP to dramatically reduce workforce numbers at HP Indigo’s sprawling research and development site in Rehovot, Israel.
A HP spokesperson said after Bar-Shany’s 15 years in the role as head of HP Indigo, it was time to implement succession planning.
Levit’s most recent role was leading the worldwide go-to-market for HP’s Industrial Graphics organisation.
“After leading the business for more than 15 years, the time has come to implement our succession plans,” a HP spokesperson told Sprinter.
“Alon built a deep a bench of talented leaders and Haim is the right leader at the right time to lead Indigo forward.
“Alon will stay with HP to ensure a seamless transition during the coming weeks and months.”
Bar-Shany has regularly visited Australia and is highly regarded for his open style and easy communication with customers to discuss printing, its possibilities and how the HP Indigo technology could better serve the industry.
During a one-on-one interview with Bar-Shany at PrintEx19, the digital printing guru told Sprinter one of the key ways HP Indigo goes about its research and development is by working closely with printers on the ground to better understand their challenges and needs. To read this interview, please click here.
Bar-Shany was also a regular attendee at Dscoop events around the world. Dscoop APJ chairman and global board member Kelvin Gage said Bar-Shany was technically brilliant, a visionary but still humble, approachable and accessible.
“There are few people you come across in your business life like Alon. Yes, he was a visionary, he was technically brilliant, he was a innovator and a leader but to those who know him he was much more than that,” Gage said.
“He was totally dedicated to his customers in a way we do not see from modern day executives. He showed great interest in everyone, regardless of how big your business or how important you were. He was humble, approachable and accessible. He had a real soft spot of Aust and NZ and counted my ANZ customers as close friends.”
The HP Indigo range of digital presses are distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Currie Group.
A statement from HP reads:
“HP Inc. today announced that Haim Levit has been appointed as General Manager of HP Indigo,” the statement said.
“Haim brings more than 25 years of print leadership experience to the role, most recently leading worldwide go-to-market for HP’s Industrial Graphics organization.
“He succeeds Alon Bar-Shany, who has successfully led HP Indigo for more than 15 years. We are grateful to Alon for all he has done to make Indigo the market leader in digital printing and we will benefit from his many contributions to our business for years to come.”
In March this year, Bar-Shany presided over the launch of HP Indigo’s new range of printing technologies including the HP Indigo 100K Digital Press which he described as being “born to run”.
The new range of presses were all set to be shown at drupa but as the trade show has been postponed until April 2021, they are now being shown by Currie Group as part of the Visual Connections’ Virtual Trade Show. To review Currie Group’s virtual stand, please click here.
About Haim Levit
Levit is an experienced leader in the printing industry. In his 25+ years with HP Indigo, and part of the Indigo community, he has successfully performed a wide spectrum of leadership roles ranging from Global Procurement Management, NA Supplies Business Management and NA Business Director, Vice President and General Manager for HP’s Americas Indigo and PageWide Web Press, before assuming his current role leading WW GTM for the Graphics Industrial organization. Haim is married with three children. He currently resides in Boston, US, and will be relocating to Israel over the summer.
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Alon was a great leader and inspired those around him. But his passion for Indigo as a platform did create some tension within the wider HP community from time to time and I remember doing an evaluation between Indigo and HP inkjet platforms. He questioned why we would even think of an alternative technology, regardless of the alternative being within the wider HP Group. His hosting in Israel was always a highlight when dealing with Indigo, he was very proud of what at been created in Israel, so I can understand why he may not want to be part of a downsizing.