Brunswick Corporation has announced a leadership transition, with CEO and chair David Foulkes set to retire from the company at the end of 2026.
Aine Denari, currently executive vice president and president of Navico Group and Brunswick chief technology officer, will become CEO and join Brunswick’s board of directors on January 1, 2027. David Everitt, currently Brunswick’s lead independent director, will become non-executive chair on the same date.
“It has been the greatest honour and privilege of my professional life to lead Brunswick Corporation as CEO for the last eight years,” says Foulkes. “With the best leadership team in our industry and the hard work and support of our thousands of committed and talented global employees, we have built the world’s largest and most innovative marine technology company and have outperformed the market and delivered strong shareholder returns through a prolonged period of external turbulence.”
Foulkes has spent two decades at Brunswick, serving as chair since February 2025 and CEO since January 2019. Before becoming CEO, he was the company’s first chief technology officer and led its Boat Group and financial services businesses, which later became part of Business Acceleration.
He joined Brunswick as vice president of product development at Mercury Marine, where he led development of outboard, sterndrive and diesel engines and advanced controls that form part of Mercury Marine’s current product line-up.
“I am very proud of the exceptional organisation we have built, the rich culture we have cultivated, and the leadership position we have earned across the recreational marine industry,” says Foulkes. “With the support of my colleagues, I have achieved much of what I set out to do as Brunswick CEO. I am especially grateful to the Senior Management Team, whose individual and collective leadership I consider exceptional and among the strongest in any industry. I also want to thank my family, especially my wife Gillian, whose unwavering support made my professional achievements possible.”
Foulkes continues, “One of the most important duties of the CEO is to work with the board to prepare a successor. I believe the time is right for a transition, and I am extremely confident that Aine is the right person to lead Brunswick on the next stage of its journey. Aine’s broad skill set as a business and technology leader, her strong commitment to Brunswick’s employees and partners, her deep understanding of the marine industry and her ability to deliver financial results will position Brunswick for continued success. I look forward to working with Aine to ensure the smoothest possible transition.”
Denari has more than 30 years of experience in automotive, mobility, industrial and manufacturing businesses. In 2024, she took on a dual role as president of Navico Group and Brunswick chief technology officer as part of Brunswick’s talent development and rotation process.
In these roles, Denari worked on Navico Group’s market share, financial performance and product development, including products from Lowrance and Simrad. These included AutoCaptain, which Brunswick describes as a fully integrated autonomous boat docking solution.
Denari joined Brunswick in 2020 as executive vice president and president of Brunswick Boat Group. In that role, she led the business through changing market conditions and oversaw the launch of new boat models and brands. She also serves as a director of Masco Corporation.
Denari has engineering and business qualifications, as well as executive education from Stanford, Northwestern, Purdue, the University of Detroit Mercy and University College Dublin.
“I am thrilled to be appointed CEO of Brunswick Corporation, an exceptional company with a proud legacy, and I look forward to building on its strong foundation,” says Denari. “I thank Dave and the board for their confidence and trust, and I am committed to a seamless transition. As we move forward, we will continue to execute the strategy outlined at our 2026 Investor Day and build on our strong momentum to deliver transformational growth. I deeply believe in our Next Never Rests culture of continuous improvement and am excited to help lead the next generation of innovative, technology-enabled solutions that make boating easier and more enjoyable. We will continue to strengthen our industry-leading portfolio of marine products while advancing our position as a technology leader in the marine industry. I look forward to working with our board and leadership team to support and develop our award-winning global workforce of 14,500 employees, while continuing to create long-term value for our shareholders and all stakeholders”
Everitt comments, “This leadership transition is the culmination of the board’s robust and thoughtful succession planning process leveraging the company’s talent development work. On behalf of the entire board, our employees, customers, and shareholders, I thank Dave for his remarkable service and his commitment to ready the next generation of Brunswick leaders and maintain an award-winning culture. We are confident Aine is the ideal next CEO for Brunswick, and we are excited to work with her as she leads the company forward to deliver its next phase of growth and success.”
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