(Reuters) -Harley-Davidson said on Monday Topgolf's Arthur Starrs would succeed Jochen Zeitz as CEO, to help steer the storied motorcycle maker through U.S. tariffs and slowing demand for its cruiser bikes.
Shares of Harley rose more than 1.5% in premarket trading.
Starrs, currently the CEO of sports entertainment company Topgolf International, is taking the reins at Harley as the sector faces cost pressures on imported parts and components due to U.S. President Donald Trump's broad tariffs.
Demand
for leisure vehicles has been on a decline in the United States, with consumers rethinking non-essential purchases in an uncertain economy.
Harley has also struggled to win over younger riders, who prefer more fuel-efficient models with modern safety aids.
Earlier this year, activist investor H Partners proposed the removal of three Harley directors, including CEO Zeitz, criticizing the company for declining sales and a falling stock price. Harley had defeated the proposal through a shareholder vote.
Zeitz will remain on as a senior adviser through February 2026. The company had announced in April he planned to step down from the role later this year.
Starrs, who will start at the top role later this year, previously held leadership roles at Pizza Hut and Topgolf, a unit of Topgolf Callaway Brands.
Zeitz spent half a decade at Harley and launched its "Hardwire" strategy in 2021, aimed at reviving the brand and connecting with young riders, as its core "baby boomer" customer base aged.
Last week, the company said it would sell loans worth over $5 billion to KKR & Co and PIMCO, in an attempt to reduce its debt pile while retaining majority ownership over its financial arm.
(Reporting by Nathan Gomes and Abhinav Parmar, additional reporting by Utkarsh Shetti in Bengaluru; Editing by Harikrishnan Nair, Shailesh Kuber and Devika Syamnath)
