NOW
IN OUR
28th
YEAR
™
THE LEADING BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR THE INTERNATIONAL CUSTOM MOTORCYCLE AND PARTS INDUSTRY
Jochen Zeitz Confirmed as
Permanent Harley President/CEO
JUNE 2020
ISSUE #251
Well, just eight weeks
ago Harley-Davidson
said that the decision
to appoint Jochen
Zeitz as Acting President/CEO to
replace Matt Levatich was a
temporary one, and they were not
joking!
The company has now confirmed that
Jochen Zeitz' temporary appointment
has now been made permanent - just in
time to head off speculation and
pressure at the upcoming Annual
Meeting and in response, no doubt, to
investor calls for uncertainty to be
eliminated and at a time when
conducting a meaningful executive
search would no doubt have proven
challenging.
Zeitz will continue to serve as Chairman
of the Board, and as previously
disclosed, Thomas Linebarger, an
independent member of Harley-
Davidson's Board of Directors since
2008, has been appointed "Presiding
Director".
The uncertainty of going into a period of
strategic revaluation with the identity of
the CEO, who will be charged with
delivering the new 'Rewire' of the illfated
'More Roads' strategic plan, did
not sit well with Harley investors.
Following the release of its Q1 fiscals at
the end of April, and the pretty strident
(indeed damning) observations that
Zeitz had about Harley's shortcomings,
it was widely thought that concluding a
new vision of Harley's strategic direction
without a permanent CEO appointment
in place could have put Harley in an
Zeitz: "Over the next few months,
we will rewire the business and
define a new 5-year strategic plan
later this year ... my decision to
become the President and CEO of
Harley-Davidson reflects my deep
passion and commitment to this
company."
unnecessarily destabilizing position
from which to deliver on the 'Rewire'.
Linebarger is quoted as saying: "As the
uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19
crisis and recovery persists, and given the
significant changes that are needed at
the company, solidifying Jochen as CEO
demonstrates both the Board's
confidence in him and Jochen's
commitment to leading the company
through this extraordinary time.
"His two decades of experience as
Chairman & CEO of a leading global
company and brand, and his enthusiasm
and determination to challenge
everything about the company based on
his turnaround experience, is exactly
what we need right now to lead Harley-
Davidson to long-term success. He has
the unequivocal support of the Board."
Prior to being named Chairman, Acting
President and CEO in February, Zeitz was
a member of the Harley-Davidson Board
of Directors since 2007 and established
the company's Brand and Sustainability
Committee. He served as Chairman and
CEO of PUMA for eighteen years from
1993 to 2011 and was also PUMA's
CFO from 1993 to 2005.
Zeitz remained Chairman at PUMA after
being appointed CEO of the Sport and
Lifestyle division at French luxury goods
company Kering (formerly PPR - Gucci,
Yves Saint Laurent etc.) from 2011 to
2012 before serving on Kering's Board
from 2012-2016.
TVS BUYS NORTON
CAPTAIN
BILTWELL
Take that,
you pesky
virus!
'Legend' by Mirko Perugini of
Gallery Motorcycles, Brescia,
Italy - 11th place for this 989 cc
1917 'F' at the 2018 AMD
World Championship of
Custom Bike Building - see
page 32 for the
story in full.