If you've been paying attention to Harley-Davidson news in the past couple of weeks, it's been a bit of a deluge. From a peek at the upcoming LiveWire EV concepts to the announcement of the new, sub-$6K Harley-Davidson Sprint platform that's on its way, it's clear a whole lot of gears are turning over on Juneau Avenue.
And now, here's another. After spending a good amount of time searching for its new CEO, the Motor Company made its official announcement about who's stepping into the role. The new CEO is Arthur "Artie" Starrs, who joins the MoCo from being the CEO of Topgolf International, Inc., which is a subsidiary of Topgolf Callaway Brands.
Starrs joined Topgolf in 2021, after having previously climbed the ranks at Pizza Hut. He started at the Yum! Brands subsidiary (which also owns KFC and Taco Bell, in addition to Pizza Hut) in 2013 as the VP of Business Analysis and Financial Planning before becoming CFO, then GM, then president, and finally Global CEO of Pizza Hut.
Prior to his years with Pizza Hut, Starrs served as CFO and executive vice president of the digital movie theater chain Rave Cinemas, before it was acquired by the then-third-largest movie theater chain in the US, Cinemark.
"It's a huge privilege to be joining Harley-Davidson as President and CEO, and I am grateful for the opportunity to help steward this incredible company. I have long admired the unique position Harley-Davidson has in the hearts of its riders and fans; there is no brand that brings the same level of community and rebellious spirit as Harley-Davidson. I'm excited by the tremendous potential to both drive growth and further enhance the H-D experience for all, and I look forward to working with the dedicated Harley-Davidson employees and dealer network as we start this journey together," Starrs said in a statement.
He'll also be joining the Harley-Davidson Board of Directors upon taking over as president and CEO in October 2025, when outgoing CEO Jochen Zeitz steps down. Incidentally, Zeitz will remain in an advisory role until February 2026 to aid in the transition period.
As I've said so many times before, this is RideApart, not BusinessApart, FinanceApart, or CEOApart. As a result, we're going to look at things from a certain point of view, and that POV is generally going to be rider-informed, and about what's good (or bad) for riders.
As someone who's not a business expert, I don't think it would be responsible to say that you absolutely have to have a strong motorcycle background to lead what's easily the most well-recognized motorcycle brand in the world. But it certainly can't hurt. Especially when, as Starrs himself said in his statement upon accepting the position, "There is no brand that brings the same level of community and rebellious spirit as Harley-Davidson."
There's another recent Harley CEO that had plenty of business bona fides before stepping into the role, and who seemed to draw a lot of criticism for taking the company in what many of the fans felt were several wrong directions. Like Starrs, while he inarguably had years of business world cred to his name, none of it related to motorcycles prior to taking the top chair at Harley. His name, as I'm sure you already know, is Jochen Zeitz.
So, will this be a positive step forward, or not? We can't say, and neither can you. But you can let us know what you think in the comments.
