TaylorMade Golf Appoints (Another) New CEO
/Ben Sharpe is out after almost a year at the helm. He replaced CEO Mark King last April. 
For Immediate Release:
TaylorMade Golf Company Names David Abeles as CEO and President
CARLSBAD, Calif. (March 26, 2015) — The adidas Group has appointed David Abeles as CEO of TaylorMade Golf Company with immediate effect. Abeles succeeds Ben Sharpe, who has decided to leave the company for personal reasons. Abeles will report directly into adidas Group CEO Herbert Hainer.
Abeles rejoined the company as President of TaylorMade and Adams Golf last month. A 12-year veteran of TaylorMade Golf Company, Abeles brings a deep executive skill set, leadership competence and business acumen built both within the golf industry as well as in the world of sports. Most recently the CEO of the Competitor Group Inc., Abeles is widely respected within the golf community for his relationships and energetic connection with both the retailer and consumer.
Herbert Hainer, CEO of the adidas Group: "David has a proven track record of success and leadership excellence. I am convinced that David will lead our golf business into the next era of growth. At the same time, I would like to thank Ben for his passion and many contributions to our company over the last nine years and I wish him all the best for his professional and private future.”
**David Dusek at Golfweek on Abeles. The piece includes a photo for the Big Oak crowd wanting to kiss up to the new guy.
In March 2014, Abeles, 43, was named CEO of Competitor Group Inc., a company that operates marathons, half-marathons and races. He previously worked at TaylorMade for 12 years and rose to executive vice president of TaylorMade-Adidas Golf. According to his LinkedIn page, Abeles also worked as vice president of sales and marketing for Acushnet Co. for six years ending in 2007.
E. Michael Johnson says this is Abeles' third stint at the company. He also points out that the task will be tall, with parent company adidas wanting to bring products to the market more rapidly, the very strategy that undermined Taylor Made's credibility with some customers.
Another WSJ article published today noted that Adidas' stock price fell 40 percent in 2014 and that it was seeking to bring products to market at a more rapid pace. The article detailed that Adidas reported 2014 net profit of 490 million Euros, down from 787 million Euros the year before, on sales worth 14.5 billion Euros.
