Jonathan Root, previously senior vice president of Harley-Davidson Financial Services (HDFS), has become the new chief financial officer of Harley-Davidson as a whole. His appointment was effective immediately on 27 June. He succeeds Gina Goetter, Harley’s first high-profile female executive board member, who resigned her CFO position in April and left the company.
Commenting on this promotion, Harley-Davidson chairman and chief executive Jochen Zeitz said: “Jonathan is a proven leader with extensive knowledge of our business, matched with strong financial acumen. We’re excited to have him in place to lead our finance organisation.”
During his tenure at HDFS, which is primarily a consumer credit and dealer inventory funding arm, Root oversaw its global business as president of Eaglemark Savings Bank, Harley-Davidson Insurance and all other HDFS subsidiaries. He was responsible for both strategy and execution of the company’s motorcycle retail lending, branded credit card partnerships and commercial lending, plus both retail and commercial insurance operations.
He originally joined HDFS in 2011. Prior to that, Root worked for Ally Financial, GMAC Financial Services and General Motors in various positions. He has an MBA from the University of Detroit Mercy and a BSc in corporate finance from Wayne State University.