Harley-Davidson brings in growth strategist – Artie Starrs becomes CEO

Artie Starrs to get Harley back on track - CEO change in October

Artie Starrs will take over the CEO position at Harley-Davidson from October 2025. Who is the man behind Topgolf and Pizza Hut and why was he chosen?

Harley-Davidson has confirmed that Artie Starrs will assume the position of President and Chief Executive Officer as of October 1, 2025. The current CEO Jochen Zeitz will remain with the company as Senior Advisor until February 2026 and will hand over the chairmanship of the Supervisory Board to Troy Alstead.

Suitability for the job as Harley CEO - and how he got into the game

There is currently no indication that Artie Starrs himself rides Harley-Davidson or has a personal relationship with the brand as a biker. His qualifications are based less on a passion for motorcycles and more on leadership skills, brand understanding and operational experience.

His qualifications and why the CEO job might suit him

Growth experience & global expansion

As CEO of Topgolf International Starrs increased sales from USD 1.1 billion to USD 1.8 billion (+50 %) and expanded into five new countries in Europe and Asia.

And how does it come into play?

The Supervisory Board was looking for a successor for Jochen Zeitz in a lengthy selection process that specifically targeted management personalities with global brand and growth experience. 

There was apparently also pressure from investors such as H Partners, who were dissatisfied with Zeitz's strategy. The change is seen as a strategic step to tackle current challenges such as falling demand, ageing target groups and dealer dissatisfaction.

In short! Artie Starrs is not a passionate Harley rider (at least not publicly known), but he brings a high level of Management and growth expertise with, the Harley-Davidson into the next development phase. Particularly relevant, his background in building large, brand-driven franchise structures and his successful regional and global scaling at Topgolf and Pizza Hut.

Artie Starrs comes from Topgolf International, where he was responsible for global expansion as CEO. Under his leadership, turnover rose from 1.1 to 1.8 billion US dollars. The company grew to over 100 locations in several countries and most recently employed around 30,000 people. Previously, Starrs managed the global Pizza Hut brand, where he was responsible for over 18,000 locations in 110 countries. He began his career as an investment banker.

Although no personal connection to the motorcycle world is known, the Harley-Davidson board member emphasizes his experience in international brand management, franchise structures and dealing with complex organizational models. Starrs is to bind existing customer groups more closely to the brand and open up new target groups for Harley-Davidson. His appointment is seen as a strategic decision to prepare the company for the next phase of development.

My personal thought

The brand actually has everything it needs to be successful on the market. You just need to turn back a few screws. If the focus is once again more on customer satisfaction and you stop squeezing every last cent out of every corner of production, it will pay off in the long term - for the product, for the customers and for the company. It would also make sense to present new models earlier again and thus serve the market sooner. If you deliver too late, you not only lose time, but also trust and willingness to buy.

Text Wolf / Picture credits: Photo: PR Newswire / Topgolf Entertainment Group

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