PARIS — Surfwear company Boardriders Inc. has named Dave Tanner chief executive officer, effective immediately, following the death of Pierre Agnès, who went missing at sea last week.
“We are all grief stricken over the sudden and tragic loss of our friend Pierre Agnès,” Tanner, previously the company’s chief turnaround officer, said in a statement.
The executive said the company, which owns Quiksilver, would honor the legacy of Agnès, a key figure of the surfing community, by “driving the continued resurgence and growth of Boardriders.”
U.S.-based Boardriders had already announced plans to put Tanner in the position once it finishes the acquisition of Australian surfwear brand Billabong, expected in the first half of the year.
The company’s chief financial officer Thomas Chambolle, who worked closely with Agnès, also becomes interim head of the Europe, Middle East and Africa regions. Greg Healy will remain president of the company and in charge of the Asia Pacific region.
A boat belonging to Agnès washed up on a French beach last week, hours after he had set out on his own. His disappearance prompted fruitless boat and helicopter searches by local authorities and an outpouring of grief from the surfing community on social media.