Boardriders Inc., parent company of the action sports brands Quiksilver, Roxy and DC Shoes, named Dave Tanner CEO on Feb. 6, four days after announcing the cessation of efforts to locate the previous CEO Pierre Agnes. The search had been taking place off the southwestern coast of France after Agnes’ boat washed up on shore.
Tanner was scheduled to become CEO of Boardriders later this year upon the closing of the pending acquisition of Billabong International Ltd., an agreement that was finalized in January. In the statement announcing Tanner’s appointment, Boardriders reaffirmed its commitment to the $155 million Billabong purchase, which is subject to customary closing conditions and expected to be completed in the first half of 2018. The combined company will operate more than 600 stores around the world.
Tanner, previously Chief Turnaround Officer at Boardriders, is also the Managing Director and Head of the Portfolio Transformation Team at Oaktree Capital Management, which has been the majority owner of Quiksilver (renamed Boardriders in 2017) since the brand emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October 2015.
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Prior to joining Oaktree in 2011, Tanner held a number of senior executive roles at Fortune Brands Inc. Previously, he was a member of the Strategy and Corporate Finance practices at McKinsey & Company. A U.S. Air Force veteran, Tanner served as a Major and Senior Pilot.
Thomas Chambolle, Global CFO, is assuming additional responsibility as Interim President of EMEA at Boardriders. Tanner, Chambolle and Greg Healy, Global President and President of APAC, “have worked side-by-side for the last several years to drive Boardriders’ successful turnaround and now, with the rest of the leadership team, will take Boardriders into the next phase of its evolution into the world’s leading action sports company,” according to a company statement.
Agnes joined Quiksilver in 1988. He was named Managing Director of Quiksilver Europe in 2003 and President of Europe in 2005. He became President of the company in 2014 and was appointed CEO in 2015. On Jan. 30, 2018, Agnes, 54, set out alone in his 36-foot speedboat around 7:30 AM. His empty, flooded boat was located two hours later.
“His leadership left an exceptionally strong team at Boardriders,” Healy said in a statement. “Our teams around the world are committed to honoring his memory by carrying the business forward with the same passion and energy he infused in us all.”
