- Consumer robots leader iRobot has announced it named Keith Hartsfield as chief product officer at the company
Consumer robots leader iRobot recently announced it named Keith Hartsfield as chief product officer at the company. Hartsfield is going to report directly to iRobot chairman and CEO Colin Angle and will oversee the company’s physical and digital product offerings, providing strategic direction on innovation and vision, new product development, design, competitiveness, partnerships, and in-market excellence.
This is a newly created position that will further the company’s focus on developing a product portfolio that delivers a premium customer experiences, contributes to organizational growth, and extends industry leadership.
“Keith is a seasoned leader who brings a wealth of experience in consumer hardware, intelligent devices and software solutions,” said Angle. “He understands the needs of the customer and how to effectively work across the business to develop successful go-to-market strategies on a global scale. We are excited to welcome Keith and his passion for product innovation to the iRobot team.”
Hartsfield had most recently served as vice president of Z Products at HP. And in this role, he was responsible for the multibillion-dollar Workstations product portfolio — which includes devices used for machine learning and artificial intelligence.
While at HP, Hartsfield also served as VP of Mobility Products and Workflow Transformation and VP of Mobility. Before HP, Hartsfield served as chief operating officer of Green Edge Technologies — an IoT-focused company for wireless energy management and home control systems. Plus he also held executive leadership roles at Nokia and Motorola.
“iRobot has always led the way in consumer robotics, and I am excited to play a role in shaping its future,” added Hartsfield. “Robots are already changing the way people clean and maintain their homes, and there is so much potential for them to do more in the emerging smart home ecosystem. I look forward to exploring the consumer’s evolving needs and bringing products to market that can help them in new ways.”
So far, iRobot has sold more than 25 million robots worldwide. And iRobot’s product line including the Roomba and the Braava family of mopping robots feature proprietary technologies and advanced concepts in cleaning, mapping, and navigation.
