Nikon replaces RED founder and CEO with new boss as it cements acquisition

In a move that sent shockwaves through the photography and video industries Nikon announced its acquisition of RED in early 2024, and the deal has now officially been completed.

In March 2024, Nikon announced that it had started proceedings to acquire cine camera manufacturer RED. Nikon is one of the leading manufacturers of photography cameras and joining forces with RED, one of the world's leading cine cameras, could see improvements to Nikon's consumer video cameras, a fascinating prospect.

In a statement released shortly after the announcement, Nikon made aware that it did not intend to make large changes to RED's lineup of cameras, but since then, Nikon has had a reshuffle of staff members.

Keiji Oishi, of Nikon’s Imaging Business Unit, assumed the role of CEO. RED’s former president and CEO, Jarred Land and the company's founder, James Jannard, are now "advisors", while the former Executive Vice President of RED, Tommy Rios, has moved into the role of Co-CEO.

(Fun fact: James, or 'Jim', Jannard is also well known for founding sunglasses brand Oakley more-or-less from his car in the mid-70s — he sold that for over $2 billion in 2007.)

In a new statement released by Nikon, the new RED CEO Keiji Oishi states, "I believe it is my mission as the representative of RED to develop the market in a way that will pay respect to the corporate cultures of RED and Nikon. You can look forward to RED’s future product development which will aim to meet and exceed the expectations of cinematographers around the world."

Despite the reshuffle at the top Nikon continues to state "There will be no changes to RED’s current product lineup, partners, and relationship with the dealers. RED will continue to support its policies with warranties, repair services, customer services, and overall product support".

It appears that Nikon and RED look to continue to push boundaries in their respective fields, which will be made all the more achievable by combining the already established relationships and networks. While merging strengths, Nikon and RED will continue to develop distinctive products to expand the fast-growing professional digital cinema camera market.

I am keen to see Nikon include some of RED's award-winning video tech in its mirrorless cameras, and provide competition to both Canon and Sony's offerings.

You may also be interested in our guides to the best Nikon cameras, the best Nikon lenses, and the best cameras for filmmaking.