After being announced as the brand’s interim CEO following the end of James “JC” Curleigh’s four-year tenure earlier this year, the Brand President has now been given the job full-time
Cesar Gueikian and Amanda Gueikian at the Gibson Garage in November 2021(Image credit: / Getty)
Gueikian has been with the company since 2018, following a period in which Gibson was forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. He initially joined as Chief Merchant Officer – alongside then CEO James “JC” Curleigh and Director of Brand Experience, Mark Agnesi – and the leadership team faced a stiff challenge in reversing Gibson’s fortunes.
Now the firm looks to be in a far stronger position, focusing on what has appeared to be a two-pronged approach of simplifying product lines (with models that, to use Gueikian’s favorite phrase, “leverage our iconic past”) and attracting big name endorsees – among them Slash, Dave Mustaine, Kirk Hammett,Tony Iommi and Lzzy Hale.
“I am honored and humbled to take on the permanent CEO role!” says Gueikian. “Gibson is a passion project for me. Our board of directors, chaired by Nat Zilkha, has been incredibly supportive over the last five years, giving me an opportunity to merge my biggest passion, which is not just music and guitars, but Gibson guitars with my business background, and I don’t take this for granted.
Gueikian onstage with Better Than Ezra in September 2022 (Image credit: / Getty)
“The support from our board, team, artists, and fans has been overwhelming and I look forward to continuing the work we started with our leadership team, who always challenge me to be better. We have an epic history in music, which comes with responsibility, and we are constantly asking ourselves how to be more relevant and leverage our iconic past to be more creative the older we become as a brand.
“Our future depends on our team’s passion and pride in the work they do, and on creative collaboration with our artists around the world across genres of music. When music is at its best, the spirit of the fan merges with the spirit of the artist, and that transcendent experience is special. I can’t wait to get started, keep momentum, and press ahead.”
Matt is Features Editor for GuitarWorld.com. Before that he spent 10 years as a freelance music journalist, interviewing artists for the likes of Total Guitar, Guitarist, Guitar World, MusicRadar, NME.com, DJ Mag and Electronic Sound. In 2020, he launched CreativeMoney.co.uk, which aims to share the ideas that make creative lifestyles more sustainable. He plays guitar, but should not be allowed near your delay pedals.
