Stihl Inc. announces Fred Whyte
to remain chairman of the board
Stihl Inc. announced that its outgoing pres-
ident, Fred Whyte, will continue to serve
the Virginia Beach, Va.-based company as
the sole director and chairman of the board
of directors following his retirement in
December 2015.
Whyte, who currently serves in the
position of director and chairman of the
board of Stihl Inc., will continue in this
capacity following his retirement and act
in an advisory role to incoming president
Bjoern Fischer and his executive manage-
ment team providing strategic counsel.
Whyte has worked with Stihl for more
than 44 years, including the past 23 years
as president of Stihl Inc. During his tenure,
Stihl enjoyed record growth and became
the number one selling brand of gasoline-
powered handheld outdoor power equip-
ment in America.
"Bjoern was my recommendation to suc-
ceed me as the person to lead our company
in the future, and the Stihl family agreed,"
said Whyte. "He and the Stihl Inc. manage-
ment team will be steering the ship, and my
role will be to help them read the map."
"Mr. Whyte has a wealth of knowledge
and experience from the more than four
decades he has worked with the Stihl group
and in the industry," said Dr. Nikolas Stihl,
chairman of the Stihl Group's advisory and
supervisory boards and grandson of the
company's founder, Andreas Stihl. "We
appreciate his willingness to continue to
provide guidance and mentorship as we
begin the next chapter for Stihl."
INDUSTRY NEWS
www.outdoorpowerequipment.com OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT FEBRUARY 2016 9
Fred Whyte
