Fender just swapped its boss for a guy who got rejected years ago. Edward 'Bud' Cole takes the throne at the Los Angeles guitar giant to replace Andy Mooney. The outgoing chief is retiring after spending a decade pushing digital subscription apps like Fender Play. This leadership transition officially happens next month but the corporation confirmed the move on Tuesday.
Cole previously ran the Asia-Pacific division, where he planted a massive flagship store in Harajuku and established headquarters in Tokyo. Executives credit him with aggressively expanding their footprint across fourteen different markets in that region. He brings business experience from massive global brands like Ralph Lauren and LVMH.
Mark Fukunaga insists this executive knows the global player base better than anyone. Mooney leaves behind a legacy of trying to modernize the firm with recording software like Fender Studio. The incoming leader actually failed to land a PR gig there fresh out of Arizona State University but eventually clawed his way to the top.
The new head honcho shreds on a Japanese Telecaster reissue he bought back in 1989. This shuffle occurs as the company approaches its eightieth birthday while managing subsidiaries like Jackson and Gretsch under the ownership of Hawaii-based Servco Pacific. It seems playing the long game finally paid off for the man who once couldn't get hired.
Cole previously ran the Asia-Pacific division, where he planted a massive flagship store in Harajuku and established headquarters in Tokyo. Executives credit him with aggressively expanding their footprint across fourteen different markets in that region. He brings business experience from massive global brands like Ralph Lauren and LVMH.
Mark Fukunaga insists this executive knows the global player base better than anyone. Mooney leaves behind a legacy of trying to modernize the firm with recording software like Fender Studio. The incoming leader actually failed to land a PR gig there fresh out of Arizona State University but eventually clawed his way to the top.
The new head honcho shreds on a Japanese Telecaster reissue he bought back in 1989. This shuffle occurs as the company approaches its eightieth birthday while managing subsidiaries like Jackson and Gretsch under the ownership of Hawaii-based Servco Pacific. It seems playing the long game finally paid off for the man who once couldn't get hired.
