Curleigh joins Gibson from Levi Strauss & Co., where he served as president of the Levi’s brand and was a member of its worldwide leadership team.
Over the years, Curleigh has built a reputation as a brand-building expert and has crafted uniquely tailored solutions for a variety of other well-known consumer goods companies, including as president and CEO of Keen Footwear and of Salomon Sports NA, according to Gibson’s press release. At Keen, he “steered a young company to years of strong growth and developed a unique brand identity for its future. Additionally, under his leadership at Salomon, he expanded the ski company into a leading innovative action sports brand.”
Curleigh will lead a new Gibson senior team of proven global professionals with broad experience across brand building, product quality and innovation and business development to establish operational excellence and build a strong team dynamic across the enterprise. They will collectively focus on setting the conditions for success for Gibson Brands to continue to create high quality instruments, develop meaningful partnerships and deliver profitable growth across the core business of guitars and beyond.
“As a musician, I have always treasured my Gibson guitars, and I have the utmost respect for the iconic Gibson brand and those who choose to play Gibson guitars,” said Curleigh. “Gibson has been a pioneer of craftsmanship and innovation in musical instruments and has been synonymous with shaping the sounds of generations and genres for more than 100 years. I am very honored to play a leading role with this iconic brand.”
Curleigh continued: “As a business leader and a brand builder, this is the beginning of a new era for Gibson that will build on its proven heritage and iconic status. We are focusing on the future and off to a fresh start with a strong financial foundation, a committed and experienced new leadership team and new ownership that is equally passionate about the brand. As the industry leader, we have an opportunity and an obligation to set the best conditions for success for our brands, our fans, our partners and our own extended team. I look forward to leading Gibson confidently into the future.”
Gibson will emerge from bankruptcy protection on November 1, 2018. Upon emergence, KKR will be the majority owner with the controlling interest of the company. KKR is a leading global investment firm that has an extensive track record of successful investments in the retail and consumer industries helping its portfolio companies achieve sustainable long-term growth.
Photo courtesy Gibson Brands
