Gibson President and CEO Cesar Gueikian has announced that he intends to step down from those executive roles.
Gueikian's tenure as the guitar giant's President and CEO will wrap up on July 31, Gibson announced in a press release. From there, he will move to a new role on the company's Board of Directors. Gibson added that he will also continue his work with the company's artists as a “global artist ambassador”.
Gibson's Chief Commercial Officer, Anne Rohosy, will take the position of Interim President and CEO while the company's board searches for a permanent successor.
“For 13 years, Cesar has poured his passion, creativity, and relentless commitment into Gibson,” said Nat Zilkha, Executive Chairman of Gibson’s Board of Directors, in a statement. “On behalf of the Board, we thank Cesar for his transformative leadership and the important role he has played in rebuilding the foundation of the company.
“Cesar came to us ready to step back from the day-to-day operating role and focus his energy where he has always been most passionate – working directly with artists and being close to the music. We are grateful that he will remain part of the Gibson family through his continued service as a Board member, strategic advisor, and artist ambassador.”
In a statement of his own, Gueikian said, “Gibson is part of my DNA. It has been the honor of my life to help lead Gibson and to work alongside the people who bring this company to life every day.
“Gibson is something special – to musicians, to fans, to everyone who has ever picked up a guitar and felt that connection. I am incredibly proud of what we have built together: our team, our culture, our artists, and our global community of artists and fans. I hope to have left a legacy that will be remembered in Gibson's history as a progressive era.
“I have enormous confidence in Anne and in the future of this company, and I look forward to my next chapter as a shareholder, Board member, and artist ambassador. Gibson’s best years are still ahead, and I’m excited to be part of what this company will go on to achieve.”
Gueikian first joined Gibson in 2018, a time when the vaunted company was emerging from bankruptcy and the controversial tenure of former CEO Henry Juszkiewicz.
He began as the company's Chief Merchant Officer, but immediately made an outsize impact, notably plucking Mark Agnesi from his prominent role at the LA vintage guitar mecca Norman's Rare Guitars to serve as the firm's Director of Brand Experience.
In 2021, he was promoted to the position of Brand President, and two years later, upon the stepping aside of James “JC” Curleigh, he got the top job.
As CEO, Gueikian was notably hands-on, working closely with (and even building guitars for) marquee artists, teasing new models himself, and even collaborating on original music with some of the biggest names in the brand's stable.
Speaking about Gueikian's departure from the CEO role, one of those big names, Slash, said, “Cesar played a key role in revamping Gibson over a decade ago. He reintroduced quality, integrity, and passion into the business and strove to preserve the legacy and image of the brand. He reinvigorated the staff and the technicians, and it was really exciting to see.
“Cesar put the guitars first: how they're made, how they look, what makes them great, and kept that as the paramount focus of Gibson. It has been pretty amazing.”
