In the wake of its post-Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring, Gibson appears to have begun its search to replace CEO Henry Juszkiewicz.
A job ad for Gibson CEO surfaced on executive talent portal ExecThread.com at the beginning of August, and lists the following requirements:
- Prior experience in a major consumer products company required
- Prior experience in a recognized brand, including digital, social engagement & e-commerce required
- Experience in acquiring & integrating complementary businesses preferred
- Private equity experience including a successful “exit” preferred
- Music industry experience preferred
- Prior P&L experience with global premium brands preferred
While we can’t pretend to have applied for too many CEO positions in our time, on the surface this looks promising - although “experience in acquiring & integrating complementary businesses” could raise a few eyebrows.
Presumably, the ad isn’t referring to picking up consumer electronics brands - after all, purchasing the likes of Philips, TASCAM and Onkyo is part of the reason Gibson is in this situation - but potentially smaller musical instrument brands that would complement the Gibson range. We’re certainly intrigued to see what happens there.
Although the actual recruitment will take a while, the company's metamorphosis is certainly continuing apace - faster than expected, given recent comments by Juszkiewicz.
“I will be here for a while, as CEO,” the current CEO told Guitarist. “And then I will be here for a while, for a couple of years, as an active advisor and mentor.”
Whoever lands the job, it appears major change is afoot at Gibson - but one thing’s for sure, that new CEO ain’t gonna be Joe Bonamassa...
