Shaking up the C-Suite
In another clear reversal of the direction of travel, new H-D CEO Starrs has eliminated two of the confused and confusing senior executive roles that Zeitz had implemented with the departures of Chief Commercial Officer Luke Mansfield and Chief Digital Officer Jagdish Krishnan. Instead, CFO Jonathen Root has had the Chief Commercial Officer role added to his existing role as ' Master of Coin '. Initially Root joined HDFS in 2011 as Director of Insurance Programs, and subsequently held various leadership roles, finally as Senior VP of HDFS before being named CFO of HDI in 2023. Zeitz had already added the role of " President, Commercial " for Harley-Davidson Motor Co. to Root ' s CFO bailiwick- which is why it is thought that Root ' could have been a contender '. However, in a move that will no doubt help heel any open sores, Starrs appears to have preferred the more orthodox Chief Commercial Officer title, but of the HDI mothership- making it clear that he views Root as a potential successor. One of the most important first steps that any newly appointed CEO should take is to clearly identify a succession planning pathway and ensure loyalty and same page thinking. good to be back
Mansfield had been promoted by Zeitz to Chief Commercial Officer in January 2024. According to his Linkedin profile, over his seven years with the company. Other roles held had included VP of motorcycle management and VP- Chief Strategy Officer. Krishnan joined Harley in August 2020 in what was, at the time, a new role for the company. In a subsequent announcement( December 10, 2025), Harley described itself as throwing the " focus on strengthening commercial, dealer, marketing and operational infrastructure " with a " series of leadership and organizational changes designed to strengthen the company ' s leadership, reinforce its dedication to its rider and dealer community, and deepen its commitment to Milwaukee as the heart of its business." In additional moves, Bryan Niketh is to rejoin as Chief Operating Officer overseeing Product Management, Product Development and Product Operations, with Matt Ryan named Chief Marketing and Technology Officer and Marcus Fischer appointed Chief Brand Officer. " As we reimagine our future, we are returning to what makes Harley-Davidson uniquely powerful," said Artie Starrs. " These changes set us up to deepen our connection to riders and dealers, accelerate data-led and tech-enabled engagement, and unlock the full potential of our operations." Niketh was clearly a loss to Harley. When he left the company in 2024 a seriously impressive Supply Chain and Product Development Management career left with him. That career had included time at Harley ' s Kansas City plant, at Youk, PA., then in Wisconsin, in various increasingly senior roles culminating in 3 years as a VP of Supply Management and two as the SVP of New Product Development and Global Operations- he was among the executive team under which the groundbreaking Pan America was launched in 2021. Harley describes him as bringing " both deep institutional knowledge and renewed operational leadership to the company." Hurrah! Matt Ryan, appointed Chief Marketing and Technology Officer( bringing the two together- fundamentally sound mid-21st century thinking) was most recently Chief Marketing Officer at Boyd Gaming. His brief will be to unite the company ' s marketing, digital, and technology capabilities under one leader- " enabling data-driven marketing, integrated digital experiences, and more seamless engagement with riders and customers." More blindingly obvious hurrah! Marcus Fischer will report to Ryan as Chief Brand Officer, joining from Carmichael Lynch, the agency behind many of the brand ' s most iconic campaigns, and bring much needed focussed clarity to brand management. He will " lead brand strategy, creative direction, and long-term brand positioning as Harley enters its next chapter." It has been explicitly stated and emphasised the Niketh, Ryan and Fischer will all be based in Milwaukee at the Juneau Avenue campus. If the stress gets too much for them at least there ' s a conveniently placed distillery nearby! For me though, the big news, the appointment that has been long overdue, the one that makes most sense and will bring a breath of fresh credibility, authenticity and long needed context to Harley ' s upper echelons is the appointment of Bill Davidson as Special Advisor to the CEO and Brand Ambassador. Many, many tons of hurrah for that one! I had pleaded for the post-Zeitz era to include a " Keeper of the Flame " and had namechecked Bill Davidson as an appropriate appointment. I first met Bill in his role heading up the Harley Museum. I saw him, briefly, when he and his sister were honored by the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame a couple of years ago, and again in London when Fred Warr and his family were celebrating the 100th anniversary of their dealership last year. He puts himself ' out there '. He is a recognizable connection with Harley ' s heritage. Bill and his sister Karen bleed the Orange and Black and she will continue in her Brand Ambassador: Karen Davidson will continue as Brand Ambassador role- " working more closely with our Marketing and Brand teams, focusing on dealer engagement, rider culture and community. " They are the son and daughter of Harley-Davidson styling legend Willie G. Davidson, and great-grandchildren of co-founder William A. Davidson. Along with these changes comes what Harley is saying is a " renewed commitment to Milwaukee and our dealer network ", reaffirming its commitment to Milwaukee- especially its historic Juneau Avenue campus." " Milwaukee is our home, and it always will be," Starrs said. I held Harley shares ever since I came into this market( in 1989) until, reluctantly, I finally sold the last of them in 2024. I just bought some afresh. It feels good to be back and it is genuinely starting to feel like Harley now has a genuine chance of being so too.
Robin Bradley
Co-owner / Editor-in-Chief robin @ dealer-world. com