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SHELTON, Conn. — Edgewell Personal Care Co. announced Thursday that Rod Little, who has served as chief financial officer since March 2018, has been appointed president and chief executive officer, effective March 1. He succeeds David Hatfield, who will retire from the company effective March 1. Little has also been appointed to the company’s board of directors effective March 1, which will expand the board by one member. In order to facilitate a smooth transition, Hatfield will continue to serve as a Director on the Edgewell board until May 1. The board has appointed John Hunter, an independent director who serves as chairman of the compensation committee, as non-executive chairman of the board, effective March 1.
Little said, “I am honored to lead Edgewell at this important time for the company. Despite the challenging market environment, we have significant opportunities to drive growth by building our core brands, taking further decisive actions to operate more efficiently, and reorienting our portfolio to focus on growth opportunities. Edgewell’s strongest competitive advantage is our team of employees who are dedicated to innovating and challenging conventions to advance our business. I look forward to working closely with them and my colleagues on the leadership team to enhance shareholder value by executing on our strategies and building innovative brands that consumers love.”
“Rod has played an integral role in helping lead the Company through a challenging period of transition, and we are pleased to appoint him as Edgewell’s next president and CEO,” said R. David Hoover, Lead Independent Director of the Edgewell Board of Directors. “Rod’s work developing and executing Project Fuel makes him uniquely qualified to continue overseeing these efforts. We are confident that Edgewell will be solidly positioned to drive value creation under Rod’s leadership.”
Hatfield said, “It has been a privilege to lead this business and serve as Edgewell’s CEO, and I thank all our colleagues for their hard work and commitment to innovation. I am proud of all that we have accomplished in establishing Edgewell as a standalone company with leading brands across our core categories. During the time I’ve spent working alongside Rod, I have witnessed his ability to drive results and am confident Edgewell will be led by a very capable and seasoned executive in Rod.”
Hoover added, “David helped build and lead this business, first as part of Energizer and then as Edgewell’s first CEO. Over the past 18 months in particular, David helped strengthen Edgewell by increasing investment in new growth initiatives, launching Project Fuel, an enterprise-wide initiative to transform the Company’s business and cost structure, and strengthening the management team with key leadership changes. We are grateful for David’s numerous contributions and his commitment to Edgewell and wish him all the best in his retirement.”
Mr. Hunter said, “I am pleased to accept the position of non-executive chairman of Edgewell’s board and look forward to helping Rod lead Edgewell to a successful future. The Board will continue to put Edgewell’s shareholders first and focus on helping the company create value as we move forward.”
Edgewell is conducting a search process to identify a new CFO.
