Brunswick Corp Announces CEO Transition; New CEO Áine Denari Named

What Happened Brunswick Corporation filed an 8-K (filed Sep 22, 2026) reporting that David M. Foulkes notified the Board on Sep 17, 2026 that he will retire as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer effective December 31, 2026. The company announced that Áine L. Denari will become Chief Executive Officer and join the Board effective January 1, 2027, and that Lead Independent Director David Everitt will become Chairman of the Board on the same date. Ms. Denari, 54, has been Executive Vice President, President – Navico Group and Chief Technology Officer since Aug 2024 and has been with Brunswick since Oct 2020; she previously held senior roles at ZF AG.

Key Details

• Transition dates: Foulkes retirement effective Dec 31, 2026; Denari and Everitt assume new roles effective Jan 1, 2027. Denari will fill Foulkes’s Board seat through the 2027 Annual Meeting.
• CEO pay package (agreement effective Jan 1, 2027): annual base salary $1,150,000; eligibility for an annual target bonus under the Brunswick Performance Plan; participation in equity awards under the 2023 Stock Incentive Plan and standard senior executive benefits.
• Retention equity grants (RSUs) approved Sep 21, 2026 to retain leadership continuity: Ryan M. Gwillim (CFO) — $3,000,000 grant-date value; John G. Buelow (President – Mercury Marine) — $1,700,000; Brenna D. Preisser (President – Brunswick Boat Group) — $1,700,000. These time-vested RSUs fully vest on the two-year anniversary, do not include retirement-vesting provisions, and vest pro rata if the executive is involuntarily terminated without “Cause.”
• The new CEO agreement supersedes Ms. Denari’s prior employment terms (dated Oct 26, 2020).

Why It Matters This filing documents a planned, board-approved leadership transition with a clear timeline and compensation terms—important for investors tracking governance and management continuity. The company committed to a competitive CEO base salary plus bonus/equity opportunities and granted multi-million-dollar retention RSUs to key senior executives, indicating an emphasis on retaining senior management through the transition period. These commitments have near-term compensation and longer-term equity vesting implications to watch in future filings and proxy disclosures.