Meet the new boss: Electrolux’s Ricardo Cons (center)
Ricardo Cons succeeds Nolan Pike amid personal loss and challenging market
By Alan Wolf, YSN
Electrolux has tapped Ricardo Cons, formerly head of its Latin America operations, to run its North America business.
Cons, who successfully revitalized Electrolux Latin America over the past six years, succeeds Nolan Pike, a former Sears and GE Appliances exec who assumed the top North American spot in January 2020.
The change follows weak second-quarter results, in which Electrolux reported a loss of 270 million SEK in operating income in North America on a sales increase of 0.7%. Since then, consumer demand for major home appliances in the U.S. has “decreased at a significantly accelerated pace,” the company said, citing high inflation, low consumer confidence and rising retail inventory.
See: Appliance Industry Hits a Speed Bump
In a statement, Electrolux said “particularly challenging supply chain conditions” in North America, combined with launch of two new production facilities and the introduction of several new product platforms, “require additional measures to return to stability and profitability.”
Pike noted in a LinkedIn post that family illness compelled him to step aside. “Right now, Electrolux needs a leader who can devote their full attention to the business and I’m unable to do that,” he said. Pike added that he will continue to serve the company in an advisory role and “do all I can to help it win.”
In his new role, Cons is tasked with implementing a company-wide cost reduction program that’s focused on improving supply chain and production efficiencies while investing in R&D and marketing.
Cons will continue to report to Anna Ohlsson-Leijon, who was named chief commercial officer in a recent corporate reorganization.
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Pike has been reassigned to a new, unnamed position and will also continue to report to Ohlsson-Leijon. A new Latin America chief is expected to be announced shortly, Electrolux said.
Pike’s nearly three-year tenure as head of Electrolux North America approaches that of his predecessors Alan Shaw and Jack Truong, who each served four years in that post.