Áine Denari will become chief executive officer of Brunswick Corporation on January 1, 2027, succeeding David Foulkes after Brunswick announced the planned transition. The Irish Times reported that Denari, an Irish executive who has worked in the U.S. auto industry, will take over after serving as Brunswick’s president, Navico Group president and chief technology officer. Foulkes will retire as CEO and executive chairman on December 31.
This is a prepared handoff, not an emergency change. Denari has been Brunswick’s president since 2020 and has spent the past two years combining that role with responsibility for Navico and technology. David Everitt, currently lead independent director, will become non-executive chairman when Denari joins the board as CEO.
A technology leader with marine depth
Foulkes said one of a chief executive’s most important duties is working with the board to prepare a successor. He described Denari as the right person for Brunswick’s next stage, pointing to her business and technology leadership, commitment to employees and partners, understanding of the marine industry and ability to deliver financial results. Denari said she was committed to a seamless transition.
Denari’s career also includes senior roles at ZF Group in Detroit and a mechanical-engineering degree from University College Dublin. That combination gives the succession a useful texture: Brunswick is not importing a generalist to make a symbolic change, but elevating an operator who already knows the portfolio and the work behind it. The company’s boat brands include Boston Whaler, Sea Ray, Bayliner, Lund and Harris.
The calendar is clear. Foulkes stays through year-end, Denari starts on January 1, and Everitt takes the chair. The staged arrangement echoes Spencer Sonn’s long runway into the Pick n Pay CEO role, where the months before the formal handoff are part of the succession itself.
