Stihl announces outgoing president Fred Whyte to remain chairman of the board

Stihl Inc. announced that its outgoing president, Fred Whyte, will continue to serve the Virginia Beach, Va.-based company as the sole director and chairman of the board of directors following his retirement in December 2015.

Whyte, who currently serves in the position of director and chairman of the board of Stihl Inc., will continue in this capacity following his retirement and act in an advisory role to incoming president Bjoern Fischer and his executive management team providing strategic counsel. Whyte has worked with Stihl for more than 44 years, including the past 23 years as president of Stihl Inc. During his tenure, Stihl enjoyed record growth and became the number one selling brand of gasoline-powered handheld outdoor power equipment in America.

“Bjoern was my recommendation to succeed me as the person to lead our company in the future, and the Stihl family agreed,” said Whyte. “He and the Stihl Inc. management team will be steering the ship, and my role will be to help them read the map.”

“Mr. Whyte has a wealth of knowledge and experience from the more than four decades he has worked with the Stihl group and in the industry,” said Dr. Nikolas Stihl, chairman of the Stihl Group’s advisory and supervisory boards and grandson of the company’s founder, Andreas Stihl. “We appreciate his willingness to continue to provide guidance and mentorship as we begin the next chapter for Stihl.”