Oshkosh Corporation a leading manufacturer of specialty vehicles and vehicle bodies, has announced a planned succession of the company’s senior executive leadership. CEO Charles Szews will retire at the end of 2015 and be succeeded by current Oshkosh Corporation President Wilson Jones.
Oshkosh is the parent company of aerial work platform and telehandler manufacturer JLG.
Charles L. (Charlie) Szews, chief executive officer (CEO), has decided to retire, effective December 31, 2015. Consistent with the company’s long-range succession plan, the Oshkosh Corporation board of directors elected Wilson R. Jones as chief executive officer, effective January 1, 2016. Mr. Jones has been with the company since 2005 and is currently Oshkosh Corporation president and chief operating officer (COO).
Mr. Szews, who has served as CEO for five years, will also retire from the company’s Bboard of directors, on which he has served since 2007. He joined Oshkosh in 1996 as chief financial officer and served as president and COO from 2007 to 2011, when he was appointed CEO. Mr. Jones will replace Mr. Szews on the company’s board.
“The Board of Directors is very grateful for the strong leadership demonstrated by Charlie Szews through the last five years as he led the company to successfully overcome significant U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) spending reductions and the lingering effects of the Great Recession,” said Richard M. Donnelly, chairman of the Oshkosh Corporation board of directors. “During his career, Charlie led our Company through numerous historical milestones and contributed to the Company’s growth from $400 million in sales in 1996 to more than $6 billion expected in 2015. Most recently, he and the entire Oshkosh team worked fervently to win the revolutionary DoD Joint Light Tactical Vehicle contract.
Donnelly added, “We expect the transition of Wilson Jones to CEO to be seamless as Charlie and the board have been preparing for this for several years. Wilson has been with the company for a decade, gaining greater leadership and business responsibilities, as well as successfully serving as president for two of Oshkosh’s business segments prior to his August 2012 appointment to president and COO.”
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