Bowers & Wilkins CEO resigns, restructuring expert appointed

Bowers & Wilkins CEO resigns, new director appointed

(Image credit: Future)

Gideon Yu, the ex-Facebook CFO who led Eva Automation's shock acquisition of B&W in 2016, has left Bowers & Wilkins, according to company filings. Gregory Lee, who was made CEO at the end of 2019, also appears to have resigned from that role.

David Duggins has been appointed as a director of B&W Group. Duggins describes himself as a, "restructuring professional available for Board or Advisory roles in companies undergoing restructuring, re-financing or sale".

Yu and his Silicon Valley start-up, Eva Automation, were widely seen as the final piece in the jigsaw for the completion and launch of B&W's Formation wireless range, with the company helping to push the high-end system over the line following the surprise acquisition.

At the time of the takeover, Yu said: "Bowers & Wilkins brings an incredible brand, experienced and well respected team and commitment to making high-end audio equipment of unmatched quality. We at Eva share their same product vision and passion for home entertainment and look forward to creating fantastic home AV experiences together as one combined company." The company’s website claimed it was in the business of "reimagining the audio/video experience by making products that will change how people interact and think about the home".

A full range of B&W Formation products was launched in April last year – and we've been big fans, giving glowing reviews to the Formation Duo, Formation Wedge and Formation Flex.

Now it seems changes are afoot. We've reached out to Bowers & Wilkins for more details and will update our story as and when we receive a response.

Joe is the Content Director for What Hi-Fi? and Future’s Product Testing, having previously been the Global Editor-in-Chief of What Hi-Fi?. He has worked on What Hi-Fi? across the print magazine and website for almost 20 years, writing news, reviews and features on everything from turntables to TVs, headphones to hi-fi separates. He has covered product launch events across the world, from Apple to Technics, Sony and Samsung; reported from CES, the Bristol Show, and Munich High End for many years; and written for sites such as the BBC, Stuff and The Guardian. In his spare time, he enjoys expanding his vinyl collection and cycling (not at the same time).