Stihl Inc. names new president and CEO

Virginia Beach-based chainsaw and outdoor power equipment manufacturer Stihl Inc. has appointed Terrence “Terry” Horan as the company’s president and CEO effective April 1, the company announced in a news release Thursday.

Stihl Inc. is the largest subsidiary of the global Stihl Group and employs more than 3,000 U.S. workers.

Horan previously worked as RPM Consumer Group president at Ohio-based sealant, coating and building materials manufacturer RPM International Inc. He has also served as president and CEP of DAP Products Inc., as president of The Master Lock Co., president of Robert Bosch Tool Corp. North America and president of Dremel Power Tools.

“We are pleased to welcome Mr. Horan, an internationally successful leader with 35 years of experience in the power tools, DIY and consumer goods industry to the Stihl family,” Stihl Group Advisory and Supervisory Board Chair Nikolas Stihl said in a statement.

Stihl Executive Board Chair Michael Traub said Horan’s leadership of major companies and brands where he has helped create cultures focused on innovation and customer understanding “makes him the right choice to lead the company and its employees.”

In October 2021, Stihl announced that its U.S.-based president of operations, Bjoern Fischer, and its vice president of U.S. sales and marketing, Nick Jiannas, were leaving by mutual agreement. Fischer had served in the role since 2016 after joining the company in 2012; Jiannes joined the company in 1995.

Stihl spokesperson Roger Phelps told Virginia Business Thursday that the company’s pick of Horan came after an extensive search. Traub took over as chair of the executive board in February, succeeding Bertram Kandziora, and was a factor in the search’s extended time, Phelps said.

Horan earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Notre Dame and a bachelor’s in marketing from Northern Illinois University, and also volunteers as an adviser with Notre Dame’s IDEA Center.

“I am excited both personally and professionally to join the team at Stihl Inc.,” Horan said. “I look forward to meeting and working with the men and women here in Virginia Beach, our branch and distributor teams, and our vast network of more than 10,000 local Stihl dealers across the country. Together, we will build on Stihl Inc.’s longstanding legacy of success, accelerate our growth and continue our industry leadership position as the No. 1-selling brand of outdoor power equipment in America.”