Former Gillette, Timex, and Energizer executive brings a wealth of global consumer product experience, turnaround leadership, and a proven track record of driving profitable growth.
As iRobot CEO, he will lead the company’s transformational strategy to re-orient toward profitability following a recent operational restructuring.
Bedford, Mass., May 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/: iRobot Corp. (NASDAQ: IRBT), a leader in consumer robots, today announced that Gary Cohen will serve as the company’s new chief executive officer, effective immediately. Mr. Cohen has more than 25 years of executive leadership and turnaround experience. As iRobot CEO, he will lead the company’s transformational strategy to re-orient toward profitability following a recent operational restructuring. Mr. Cohen will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the company’s business, including innovation, product and commercial strategies, operational excellence, talent, and maintaining a sustainable competitive advantage and consumer-centric brand.
“iRobot has made significant progress toward its operational restructuring plan to position the company for the future, and we are excited to welcome Gary to the team as the business enters its next chapter,” said Andrew Miller, iRobot’s chairman of the board of directors. “Gary’s leadership qualities and areas of expertise, including commercial growth, product innovation, brand-building, global distribution, and operational efficiencies, are a strong match to address the opportunities that lay ahead for iRobot. His proven track record of successfully leading global consumer businesses through challenging times gives us even greater confidence that he is the right person to lead the company on its path toward returning to profitable growth.”
“I am truly honored to be joining iRobot, a company with an iconic brand, a legacy of innovation, and a commitment to delighting customers around the world,” said Mr. Cohen. “I look forward to working with the board, the leadership team, and our employees across the company to reinvigorate the category, create value, bring new products to market, and continue building the future of consumer robotics.”
Mr. Cohen has successfully driven enterprise-wide transformation and brand growth at Fortune 500 and privately held companies in both consumer and B2B segments. He has a history of leading successful turnarounds, most recently at Qualitor Automotive. There, he led a successful transformation as CEO and board director, increasing sales and profits by approximately 100% through the design of proprietary wiper technologies, improved supply chain and operations, and the implementation of an omnichannel strategy that allowed the business to scale distribution globally.
Prior to Qualitor Automotive, Mr. Cohen served as CEO at Timex, where he led an $800 million multi-brand business and global team of 5,000 employees, increasing sales through the development of a new advertising platform as well as a blueprint for product innovation and restructuring of its product portfolio. Earlier in his career, he held leadership roles at Energizer, Playtex, and Gillette, where he acquired extensive experience in the areas of sales and marketing, product development and design, brand building, global omnichannel strategies, retail, manufacturing, supply chain, and M&A. At Playtex, Mr. Cohen was part of a turnaround team that led the sale of Playtex to Energizer for $1.16 billion in 2007. At Gillette, Mr. Cohen played an integral role in new product innovation and advertising, growing Oral-B global sales from $1 billion to $1.8 billion and launching the Mach3, one of the company’s largest global razor introductions.
Mr. Cohen will join iRobot’s board of directors after its annual shareholder meeting on May 23, 2024. Andrew Miller will remain as chair. Former interim CEO Glen Weinstein will stay on with the company for 60 days to assist in the leadership transition.
“I want to thank Glen for his hard work during this pivotal time and congratulate him and the leadership team for what was a successful first quarter and an important step in establishing a foundation for continued success,” said Mr. Miller.
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