Some 116 years after it was founded, Harley-Davidson has again tuned its leadership structure, this time to bring one central executive to the senior decision-making table who has overall responsibility for coordination of brand management and development.
Appointed as Harley's first-ever Brand President, Neil Grimmer will "evolve the brand to support the company's strategy to build the next generation of Harley-Davidson riders globally. As the company expands into new segments and new geographies and seeks to inspire diverse, new riders around the globe, he will be responsible for all aspects of the Harley-Davidson brand including product planning, marketing, retail, apparel and communications."
Oh good, another person in charge of marketing, however, not one with either motorcycle industry or wider automotive, transport or manufacturing credentials!
Reporting directly to Matt Levatich, President and Chief Executive Officer Harley-Davidson, Inc., "Grimmer brings over 20 years of experience building brands and growing companies. Most recently, he was founder and CEO of Habit, the world's first personalized nutrition life science company. Grimmer also served in a leadership role at Campbell Soup Company and was co-founder and CEO of Plum Organics, which was acquired by Campbell's in 2013."
Grimmer also served as the Vice President of Strategy and Innovation at Clif Bar & Company [organic foods and drinks] and Senior Designer at IDEO [an international design and consulting firm founded in Palo Alto, California, in 1991]. He earned an MFA in Product Design from Stanford University and a BFA from California College of the Arts. He is currently a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute.
"Grimmer will bring together our consumer-facing teams around the world, who will together invigorate the Harley-Davidson consumer experience and deliver a global brand force that resonates with new riders and engages today's riders to support our growth going forward."
"Neil's creative instincts, innovation mindset, deep brand and consumer experience and bottom-line orientation is critically important as we lead and inspire our teams and riders," said Matt Levatich. "He is joining us at a pivotal time, and his leadership qualities and affinity for who we are and what Harley-Davidson is all about will be a spark that ignites people to imagine what is possible for them from Harley-Davidson.
"As we intensify our efforts, and with this added leadership talent, the company will more fully engage the power of the brand as a catalyst to help reach the full potential of our strategy and meet our long-term objectives," said Levatich.
"Our leadership team is positioned to intensify our 'More Roads to Harley-Davidson' journey. The addition of Neil Grimmer to our seasoned group of leaders enhances our capabilities and will sharpen our focus on strategic and long-term growth opportunities to ensure our future success. We have a clear vision, and the leadership team and organization are aligned and energized around it."