Harley-Davidson appoint new Chief Financial Officer

HARLEY-DAVIDSON has a new head piggy-bank monitor, as Gina Goetter lands the job as the new Chief Financial Officer.

Goetter has more than twenty years of experience within the financial sector, although from what we can tell, this is the first time she has stepped into the automotive sector.  Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President and CFO of Tyson Foods’s prepared foods segment. Although mostly working in the food industry, Goetter has held various global leadership positions, skills she’ll no doubt need to call on to steers Harley-Davidson through these precarious times.

Harley-Davidson LiveWire video review

Harley-Davidson president and CEO, Jochen Zeitz, had this to say of his new hire:

“Gina is a CFO with the experience to drive a transformation of core processes and reporting for improved operational efficiency, build a global shared services model and modernize accounting and controls ... She will add to the fresh perspectives and new capabilities now represented at the leadership level that complement the experienced talent that has been promoted from within. We have a diverse management team structured in a new way that is designed to fuel Harley-Davidson’s brand desirability and lead Harley-Davidson as a high-performing organization.”

America’s most famous motorcycle manufacturer is going through massive change currently, having seen changes at the head of the boardroom table earlier this year. After Zeitz took over, the previous ‘More Roads to Harley’ strategy, favoured by former CEO Matt Levatich, was dropped in favour of Zeitz’ ‘Rewire’ plan.

His aims are a focus on the brand's core riders and buyers, and, among other things, prioritising the markets that matter most. We’ve already seen this in action, as Zeitz wasted no time in rescheduling, shelving, or ditching altogether some of the brand's new bike launches. Because of that, we sadly said farewell to the Bronx – which actually looked really good! – and hello to a world where Harley-Davidson doesn’t play in regions that don’t offer the rewards they need. We’re hearing whispers that the Indian market could be the first to lose the iconic brand.