“We have an epic history in music, which comes with responsibility”: Cesar Gueikian appointed permanent CEO of Gibson

Gibson has announced the appointment of Cesar Gueikian as Brand President and CEO, following his prior promotion to interim CEO back in May.

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.

“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.”

Most recently, that has taken the form of Gibson’s Leo Scala Master Artisan Collection and the introduction of the Richie Faulkner Flying V Custom signature guitar. 

Who’s to know what might be in store now Gueikian has been fully handed the reins...