[marknorton]

I think that is potentially good news.

Leica's communications have been shrouded in ambiguity which leads to mis-interpretation and wild speculation. It may be they suffer in the translation, though I don't think even their announcements in German are models of clarity.

Hopefully, Frau Deggau will clean things up, which surely has to include putting the brakes on Dr Kaufmann's own habit of the teasing hints which simply add to the confusion. I'd expect her to demand that every public communication, every press release, every bit of marketing hype has to cross her desk first. Job One (IMHO) should be to dump the web-site until she has decided what image Leica wishes to present.

She's certainly arrived at Leica at a critical time in its history...

Not sure what it is about furniture and Leica. Hans Peter Cohn, several CEOs ago, went on to an Austrian furniture company and this announcement says Gero Furchheim is now going to work for some sort of Interior Design Council.