Clarus Expands Executive Leadership Team
Clarus Corporation has announced key leadership changes, promoting Aaron J. Kuehne to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer and appointing Michael J. Yates as Chief Financial Officer. Kuehne, with over a decade at Clarus, will oversee operations and business optimization. Yates brings nearly 35 years of financial experience from IDEX Corporation. Executive Chairman Warren Kanders emphasized these appointments as vital for scaling the company’s brands and enhancing shareholder value.
- Promotion of Aaron J. Kuehne to COO, potentially enhancing operational effectiveness.
- Appointment of Michael J. Yates as CFO, bringing extensive financial leadership experience.
- None.
Promotes Aaron J. Kuehne to EVP & Chief Operating Officer and Appoints Michael J. Yates as Chief Financial Officer
SALT LAKE CITY, Jan. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Clarus Corporation (NASDAQ: CLAR) (“Clarus” and/or the “Company”), a global company focused on the outdoor and consumer enthusiast markets, announced that Aaron J. Kuehne has been promoted to the new role of executive vice president and chief operating officer and Michael J. Yates has been appointed as the Company’s new chief financial officer, effective as of today.
Kuehne joined Clarus in September 2010 and has served as CFO, secretary, and treasurer since 2013 and as executive vice president since March 2021. During his tenure at Clarus, Kuehne has established himself as a skilled strategic leader, implementing Clarus’ operating model, and supporting the Company’s organic and inorganic growth. In his new role as chief operating officer, Kuehne will have responsibility for Clarus’ operating model, business integration and optimization as well as the Company’s operational support functions.
Yates has nearly 35 years of financial management, executive leadership, accounting and M&A experience and joins Clarus from IDEX Corporation (NYSE: IEX) (“IDEX”), a S&P 500 diversified engineered products company. At IDEX, he held multiple accounting and financial executive leadership positions, including most recently serving as chief accounting officer, a role which he held since 2010. Other positions at IDEX included interim CFO and corporate controller. Prior to IDEX, Yates worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers and KPMG. He is a certified public accountant and received his Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Indiana University.
Executive Chairman of Clarus, Warren Kanders, commented: “Our dedicated and talented team, led by John Walbrecht and Aaron, has been integral to the success of Clarus’ ‘Super Fan’ brands and our ability to achieve strong, profitable growth. With the expansion of our leadership team, we have taken a major step to further scale our diversified brands globally and accelerate growth, both organically and through acquisitions. We are pleased to promote Aaron to the critically important position of EVP and COO, reflecting his significant contributions to Clarus over the past 11 years. Aaron has deep company specific and industry experience and we look forward to him playing a pivotal role in further elevating the performance of our brands and markedly enhancing our future prospects for the benefit of our shareholders.”
Clarus President John Walbrecht, said, “The entire team, together with our board of directors, are excited to collaborate closely with Aaron in his new role, as we position Clarus for our next phase of growth. We are also pleased to welcome such a seasoned executive as Mike to the position of CFO. We expect that his 16 years of public company experience, talent development and process improvement skills will serve us well in this important financial leadership role.”
Yates, commented, “I’m honored to join as Clarus’ new CFO at such an exciting time for the Company. The reputation of Clarus’ brands among outdoor enthusiasts is unparalleled in the industry, and I look forward to working with this accomplished management team to create and maximize shareholder value.”
About Clarus Corporation
Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, Clarus Corporation is a global leading designer, developer, manufacturer and distributor of best-in-class outdoor equipment and lifestyle products focused on the outdoor and consumer enthusiast markets. Our mission is to identify, acquire and grow outdoor “super fan” brands through our unique “innovate and accelerate” strategy. We define a “super fan” brand as a brand that creates the world’s pre-eminent, performance-defining product that the best-in-class user cannot live without. Each of our brands has a long history of continuous product innovation for core and everyday users alike. The Company’s products are principally sold globally under the Black Diamond®, Rhino-Rack®, MAXTRAX®, Sierra®, and Barnes® brand names through outdoor specialty and online retailers, our own websites, distributors and original equipment manufacturers. Our portfolio of iconic brands is well-positioned for sustainable, long-term growth underpinned by powerful industry trends across the outdoor and adventure sport end markets. For additional information, please visit www.claruscorp.com or the brand websites at www.blackdiamondequipment.com, www.rhinorack.com, www.maxtrax.com.au, www.sierrabullets.com, www.barnesbullets.com, www.pieps.com, or www.goclimbon.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Please note that in this press release we may use words such as “appears,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “plans,” “expects,” “intends,” “future,” and similar expressions which constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are made based on our expectations and beliefs concerning future events impacting the Company and therefore involve a number of risks and uncertainties. We caution that forward-looking statements are not guarantees and that actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Potential risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results of operations or financial condition of the Company to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements in this release, include, but are not limited to, those risks and uncertainties more fully described from time to time in the Company's public reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including under the section titled “Risk Factors” in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, and/or Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as well as in the Company’s Current Reports on Form 8-K. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are based upon information available to the Company as of the date of this press release and speak only as of the date hereof. We assume no obligation to update any forward- looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release.
Company Contacts:
John C. Walbrecht
President
Tel 1-801-993-1344
john.walbrecht@claruscorp.com
Aaron J. Kuehne
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Tel 1-801-993-1364
aaron.kuehne@claruscorp.com
Michael J. Yates
Chief Financial Officer
Tel 1‐801-993‐1304
mike.yates@claruscorp.com
Investor Relations Contact:
Gateway Investor Relations
Cody Slach
Tel 1-949-574-3860
CLAR@gatewayir.com
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