Aliph Hires New EMEA Vice President and Enters France and Germany
24 November 2008: Aliph, the maker of Jawbone, today announces two significant moves to strengthen its ambitious international expansion programme. John Harber, the former Managing Director of Sony Ericsson UK is to join the company as Vice President of EMEA, meanwhile, the company has launched its award winning* Jawbone Bluetooth headset in France and Germany.
The expansion into the Continental European market follows successful launches in both the US and the UK earlier this year. Jawbone will be available from Orange, SFR and FNAC in France and at T-Mobile stores in Germany.
In the coming months, Aliph is set to launch Jawbone in other European countries, a drive that will be spearheaded from January by John Harber. Previously, as Managing Director for Sony Ericsson operations in the UK, Harber had a hands-on role encompassing supply chain, customer service, finance, product management, brand marketing, channel marketing and sales. During Harber’s tenure, EMEA became Sony Ericsson’s largest region globally. This was achieved via a strategy of focused customer intimacy and integration, total business management, and developing marketing as a true differentiator. John Harber’s extensive knowledge of the mobile phone industry will be put to good use as Aliph expands into Europe.
Alexander Asseily, Co-founder and Chairman of Aliph, said: “John’s experience in deploying sophisticated technology brands across Europe makes him a valuable addition to our executive team. His mission is to aggressively expand our European footprint by getting Jawbone on the ears of consumers across the EU.”
“I am thrilled to be joining Aliph. Jawbone is an exciting, cool, product that has been a phenomenal hit in the States and I am looking forward to building its position in the UK and Europe,” says John. “When I became MD of Sony Ericsson UK in 2006 we had 11% market share of handsets, last week we were number 1 with a 28.7% market share. The potential for phone accessories here is enormous. Jawbone is a brilliant product and I have big aspirations for growth in the EU.”
The most recent Jawbone launched in the US in May this year, and quickly became a top-selling Bluetooth headset. Since its launch in the UK in June, Jawbone has won multiple awards in Bluetooth headset comparison tests, and gained a positive response from customers and consumers alike. Its success is such that earlier this month it was confirmed as being stocked by both O2 and Vodafone, in addition to its original UK stockist – The Carphone Warehouse. Aliph recently expanded the Jawbone range in the UK, with a pink version – Rambling Rosé – joining the original options of matt black (Blah Blah Black), silver (Silver Tongue), and rose gold (Goldy Lips).
Jawbone features cutting edge noise elimination technology, providing exceptional voice quality in a stylish and ergonomic package. With its military-grade NoiseAssassin technology, which was originally developed for DARPA (The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), the new Jawbone is designed to work in tough, battlefield environments, where clear communication is critical, and is unmatched in its ability to address real-world noise such as traffic/street noise, tannoy announcements, and background chatter in bars.
Jawbone certainly made a big noise when it was launched in France and Germany. The French unveiling was held at a venue in the trendy Etienne Marcel district of Paris, and the German at a similarly hip space in the 'Hoxton' of Munich.
Commenting on the launches, Alexander Asseily, chairman and co-founder of Aliph said: “Following the success we’ve had in the US and UK, launching the new Jawbone in mainland Europe was a natural progression for us. We’re seeing consumers in these markets demanding more sophisticated products than ever before, and Jawbone fits the bill as it offers cutting edge technology, in a sleek and wearable design. We’re looking forward to watching Jawbone achieve a similar success on the Continent as it has done in the UK.”
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*Awards
• Winner of the Best Bluetooth Headset Award at the Mobile Choice Consumer Awards 2008
• Voted Best Bluetooth Headset on Channel Five’s The Gadget Show, October 2008
• CNET.com Editor’s Choice Award and winner of CNET.com Highest Rated Bluetooth Headset Ever
Availability and Pricing
UK: Jawbone is available for £79.99 at The Carphone Warehouse, Vodafone, and O2 stores across the UK and online at www.carphonewarehouse.com and www.jawbone.com. Jawbone is available in the UK in matt black (Blah Blah Black), silver (Silver Tongue), rose gold (Goldy Lips) and pink (Rambling Rosé).
FRANCE: Jawbone is available for 110€ from Orange, FNCA and SFR and online at www.jawbone.com, orange.fr, fnac.com.
Jawbone is available in France in matt black (Blah Blah Black), silver (Silver Tongue), and rose gold (Goldy Lips).
GERMANY: Jawbone is available for 110 Euros from T-Mobile stores and online at www.jawbone.com.
Jawbone is available in Germany in matt black (Blah Blah Black), silver (Silver Tongue), and rose gold (Goldy Lips).
About Aliph
Aliph makes personal technology comfortable, usable and beautiful. The flagship product, the award winning Jawbone Bluetooth Headset with NoiseAssassin technology set a new standard for mobile voice quality. Unmatched in the industry, Aliph's NoiseAssassin technology was originally perfected with DARPA for battlefield applications. It eliminates background noise and delivers unparalleled call clarity in all environments. Since its launch in December 2006, the Jawbone headset has been widely recognized as the best Bluetooth headset in the marketplace and is a top seller at Apple, AT&T, Best Buy, Verizon and The Carphone Warehouse retail stores.
The company was founded by Alexander Asseily and Hosain Rahman, who met as Stanford undergrads and believed that better user experiences around voice and device usability are critical to improving mobile communications.
Aliph is a privately-held company headquartered in San Francisco and funded by Khosla Ventures and Sequoia Capital. For more information and a demo go to http://www.jawbone.com.
