Harley-Davidson President and CEO
Matthew Levatich Steps Down
H
arley-Davidson's
President and CEO
Matt Levatich has parted
ways with the Bar & Shield
brand, with the Board of
Directors appointing board
member Jochen Zeitz as
Acting President and CEO.
The move ends
Levatich's 26-year relation-
ship with Harley-Davidson
and comes in one of the
toughest times in the com-
pany's history, with U.S.
bike sales their lowest in 16
years.
"I am very fortunate to
have spent many years
with a company as revered
as Harley-Davidson," said
Levatich. "The grit and
determination of the employees
and dealers and their passion
for bringing our brand of free-
dom to people around the world
has always been inspiring. I am
proud of what we have achieved
during my time as CEO, in one
of the most challenging periods
in our history, and I am confi-
dent that the progress we have
made on the More Roads plan
will position Harley-Davidson for
long-term success."
Under Levatich's leadership,
Harley-Davidson's share price
has fallen a massive 46 percent.
This despite Levatich fostering
the More Roads To Harley-Da-
vidson program that included the
company's push into the elec-
tric motorcycle and e-mobility
sphere, with Harley-Davidson
currently the only major manu-
facturer (not including Zero
Motorcycles) to have a full size
electric motorcycle in its lineup—
the LiveWire.
As for the new blood, Jochen
Zeitz has been a member of
the Harley-Davidson Board of
Directors since 2007 and estab-
lished the Company's Brand and
Sustainability Committee. He
served as Chairman and CEO
of the sporting goods company
Puma from 1993 to 2011. He was
also Puma's CFO from 1993 to
2005. Zeitz served as a direc-
tor of luxury goods company
Kering (formerly PPR) from 2012
to 2016. He was a member of
Kering's Executive Committee
and CEO of its Sport & Lifestyle
division from 2010 to 2012. Zeitz
is also a Board Member of the
Cranemere Group Limited and
is on the Board of The B Team
which he co-founded with Sir
Richard Branson.
A committee of the Board
will be formed, and the Motor
Company will utilize an external
search firm to seek a new CEO,
and a further announcement will
be made at a later date. Levatich
will assist with the transition
through the end of March. CN
VOLUME 57 ISSUE 9 MARCH 3, 2020 P41
Matt Levatich is
stepping down as
the president and
CEO of Harley-
Davidson.
