Hap Seliga is the new president of Scott USA, the U.S. subsidiary of Scott Corporation and manufacturer of bike and outdoor equipment and apparel.
The longtime industry veteran co-founded retailer Competitive Cyclist, which was acquired by Backcountry in 2011, and suspension company Trust Performance. Seliga worked in senior roles at Backcountry and Specialized Bicycle Components, and most recently he led the bike division of Signa Sports United North America.
In his new role, Seliga will work with teams in Salt Lake City and Ogden, Utah, according to a news release.
“Through the turbulent times experienced across the industries, Scott’s owner, Youngone, has unequivocally demonstrated their belief in Scott with their investment of over $250 million over the last year,” Seliga said in a statement. “With the guidance and support of legendary advisors and Scott USA board directors Steve Meineke and Dave Stevens, we will work to keep building Scott as the best possible partner to our customers and retailers alike.”
Scott has experienced some turbulence of its own.
South Korea-based Youngone acquired a 20% share of Scott, which was founded in Idaho but is now headquartered in Switzerland, in 2013. It increased its share to 50.01% in 2015.
Youngone terminated longtime CEO and previous owner Beat Zaugg this past spring and replaced him with Juwon Kim, who was previously a board member at Scott. Yahoo! reports that a “dispute between managers” followed at the Scott Sports headquarters in Switzerland, and linked it to the dismissal of Zaugg. Bicycle Retailer reported that Zaugg said he was still the CEO despite the board’s decision.
“We understand that it may be difficult for Mr. Zaugg to accept his termination (given his long-standing role as CEO),” Youngone said in a statement reported by Yahoo! “But this is ultimately irrelevant as a matter of law: the ultimate decision body of a company is the board of directors and the board is clearly entitled to terminate the employment with the CEO.”
As for Seliga’s new role, Scott vice-president Pascal Ducrot said in a statement that he’ll be key to the success of the company in the U.S.
“Bringing his rich industry experience and incredible energy, I look forward to Hap’s ambitions and plans for growth in our most important strategic growth market.”