The board of directors of Horizon Global has appointed Carl Bizon as the company’s president and CEO and will also serve as a director of the company. Before being named to this permanent role, Bizon served as interim president and CEO of the company since May. In this new role, Bizon will be responsible for continued progress in moving the company forward with its action plan initiatives in its Americas and Europe-Africa segments, while increasing profitability for long-term sustainable growth.
“When the Board named Carl interim CEO, we recognized that he was uniquely qualified to lead the company with an extensive knowledge of our products, customers and suppliers, as well as the overall industry,” said Denise Ilitch, the company’s chair of the board of directors. “His prior experience running each of our three divisions has been important, particularly as he has demonstrated the ability to move quickly, decisively, and effectively to positively impact operations and maintain a laser focus on executing the company’s action plan initiatives.”
Bizon joined Horizon Global in January as president of Horizon Americas before being promoted to interim president and CEO. Prior to Horizon Global’s spin-off from its former parent company, TriMas Corp., Bizon led its international businesses from 2008 to 2015, including both Europe-Africa and Asia-Pacific. Before re-joining the company, Bizon served as CEO at Jayco Corp., one of Australia’s largest manufacturer of camper trailers, caravans and motorhomes.
The company also announced that, David Rice, the company’s current CFO, will step down as following the announcement of third quarter 2018 earnings results. Effective Nov. 9, the company’s board of directors appointed Brian Whittman, a managing director of Alvarez & Marsal North America, to serve as interim CFO. Whittman will report directly to Bizon until a permanent CFO is named.
“I am fortunate to have a long history with the businesses of Horizon Global, and I am a great believer in our company and its strong brands and great products,” said Bizon. “We do business around the globe with some of the most well-known and respected companies as part of our diverse customer base, and we have a broad and balanced geographic footprint that is supported by a team of more than 4,300 dedicated global employees. Our company has all the right ingredients to deliver growth, and I look forward to leading Horizon through its near-term challenges and driving the team to future successes.”