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The Finance Base
Artie Starrs

Harley-Davidson’s New CEO Is Here—and He’s Not From the Motorcycle World

Artie Starrs is Harley-Davidson’s CEO, despite having no motorcycle-industry executive role. His Topgolf and Pizza Hut record explains the board’s choice, while Back to the Bricks sets ambitious targets whose results remain to be proven.

By TheFinanceBase Team 4 min read

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Artie Starrs became Harley-Davidson’s president and chief executive officer on October 1, 2025. Unlike most motorcycle-company leaders, his documented career is in Topgolf, Pizza Hut, cinema finance and investment banking. The board hired him for experience building consumer brands, running global and franchise operations, and delivering growth—not for a conventional motorcycle-industry résumé. Whether those skills translate to Harley-Davidson remains an open execution question.

When did Artie Starrs take over Harley-Davidson?

Harley-Davidson announced Starrs’s appointment on August 4, 2025, with an effective date of October 1, 2025. Jochen Zeitz remained chairman, president and CEO until that date and then served as a senior adviser through February 2026. Harley-Davidson’s current executive listing identifies Starrs as president and CEO.

In a June 3, 2026 company message, Harley-Davidson said Starrs had spent time listening to riders, dealers, employees and unions. The company also said he brought back the legacy Bar & Shield logo and wanted to return to basics: motorcycles, the dealer network and a workforce proud of its products. Those are management’s stated priorities, not independently measured results.

What did Starrs do before Harley-Davidson?

Topgolf

Starrs was CEO of Topgolf International, a subsidiary of Topgolf Callaway Brands, for four and a half years. Harley-Davidson’s appointment announcement says Topgolf had more than 100 venues and over 30,000 employees under his remit. It also attributes revenue growth of more than 50%—from $1.1 billion in 2021 to $1.8 billion annually—to his tenure, along with expansion into five additional countries in Europe and Asia.

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Pizza Hut and Yum! Brands

From 2013 to 2021, Starrs held leadership roles at Yum! Brands’ Pizza Hut, ultimately becoming global CEO. Harley-Davidson says Pizza Hut reached more than 18,000 locations across 110 countries during that period. His earlier Pizza Hut role was president of Pizza Hut U.S.

Earlier finance and cinema roles

Before Pizza Hut, Starrs was chief financial officer of Rave Cinemas. He began his career as an investment banker at Wasserstein Perella. No motorcycle-industry executive role appears in the biography released with his appointment; that career path is the factual basis for describing him as an outsider to the motorcycle world.

Why did Harley-Davidson choose an outsider?

Presiding Director Troy Alstead called Starrs “an accomplished business leader who brings extensive experience managing strong brands and global operations.” Alstead specifically cited Starrs’s top- and bottom-line growth record and franchise-industry experience, while saying he understood Harley-Davidson’s distinctive place in rider culture.

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That rationale points to a deliberate trade-off. Starrs brings experience with franchised networks, consumer destinations and global brand management, but not a history of running a motorcycle manufacturer. The board’s reasoning supports his credentials; it does not prove that methods from restaurants or entertainment will work unchanged in motorcycles.

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What strategy is Starrs executing?

Harley-Davidson introduced its “Back to the Bricks” plan on May 5, 2026. The company describes five pillars:

  1. Build on the Harley-Davidson brand and dealer network.
  2. Improve dealer profitability.
  3. Recapture share in motorcycles, used motorcycles, Parts & Accessories, and Apparel & Licensing.
  4. Strengthen free cash flow and margins through cost and restructuring actions.
  5. Combine fresh perspectives with institutional knowledge in management.

Starrs said the plan would use the passion of riders to pursue profitable growth for Harley-Davidson, its dealers and shareholders. The language is a management objective, not a guarantee of financial performance.

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What targets has Harley-Davidson set?

The following figures are targets disclosed by Harley-Davidson, not achieved results:

Measure Company target Timing or qualification
HDMC EBITDA More than $350 million 2027 target
HDMC retail unit growth Mid-single-digit compound annual growth Medium-term target
HDMC gross margin 25%–30% Medium-term target
Parts & Accessories and Apparel & Licensing growth Mid-single-digit growth Medium-term target
Operating expense Below 20% of sales Medium-term target
HDMC EBITDA margin 10%–12% Medium-term target
Cost reductions At least $150 million versus the 2025 cost base Beginning in 2026 and fully realized by the end of 2027
Additional HDMC profitability benefit At least $75 million from cost leverage and other activities Same 2026–2027 period

Harley-Davidson’s SEC-filed second-quarter report warns that reaching these goals depends on factors including acceptance of new products, manufacturing execution, dealer-program changes, market forecasting and competition.

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What do the latest numbers show?

Harley-Davidson’s Q2 2026 release, dated July 23, 2026, presents a mixed picture. Each measure below describes something different:

Q2 2026 measure Reported result Year-over-year change
North American retail motorcycle sales 29,751 units Up 3%
Global HDMC motorcycle shipments 39,209 units Up 9%
HDMC revenue $1.104 billion Up 6%
Consolidated revenue $1.230 billion Down 6%
Consolidated net income attributable to HDI Not stated as a percentage base in the release’s headline table $80 million, down 26%

Retail sales measure motorcycles sold to customers in North America. Shipments measure units sent globally by Harley-Davidson Motor Company. HDMC revenue covers the motorcycle segment, while consolidated revenue includes the wider company. They should not be treated as interchangeable indicators of demand or profitability.

Can experience outside motorcycles translate?

There is a credible case for Starrs’s background: Harley-Davidson operates a dealer network, sells an emotionally powerful consumer brand and needs disciplined global execution. Those are areas in which his Topgolf and Pizza Hut experience is directly relevant.

There is also a meaningful gap. Motorcycles involve product engineering, regulation, manufacturing, dealer inventory and a rider culture that differs from restaurants or entertainment venues. Harley-Davidson’s own risk disclosures identify product acceptance, production, dealer changes, forecasting and competition as dependencies. The evidence therefore supports a question, not a verdict, about how well the transfer will work.

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What should investors and riders watch next?

  • Whether North American retail growth continues rather than relying only on shipments.
  • Progress toward the $350 million-plus 2027 HDMC EBITDA target and the stated margin ranges.
  • Dealer profitability and dealer-network health, central promises of Back to the Bricks.
  • Evidence that new products are accepted by riders without weakening the core brand.
  • Delivery of the disclosed $150 million cost reduction and additional $75 million profitability benefit.
  • Whether consolidated results improve alongside HDMC segment performance.

For anyone evaluating the company, the most useful comparison is not simply “motorcycle insider” versus “outsider.” It is Starrs’s industry operating experience, brand and franchise-growth record, global scale, and measurable results in the Harley-Davidson role. As of the Q2 2026 update, the strategy and targets are clear, while the long-term outcome is not yet established.

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