"I have had the opportunity to work closely with Cesar as we have rebuilt Gibson over the past 5 years," says Nat Zilkha, Chairman, Gibson Brands. "He has established a remarkable track record at Gibson, shaping our product, our marketing, our artist relationships, and many of our important growth initiatives. In addition, Cesar has an extraordinary personal passion for music, and for Gibson guitars in particular. He is an accomplished leader, a musician, and a self-professed guitar nerd. We are confident that Cesar is the ideal person to serve as Gibson's next CEO and to build on the great momentum we have as a company."
"I am honored and humbled to take on the permanent CEO role! Gibson is a passion project for me. Our board of directors, chaired by Nat Zilkha, has been incredibly supportive over the last five years, giving me an opportunity to merge my biggest passion, which is not just music and guitars, but Gibson guitars with my business background, and I don’t take this for granted,” says Cesar Gueikian.
"The support from our board, team, artists, and fans has been overwhelming and I look forward to continuing the work we started with our leadership team, who always challenge me to be better. We have an epic history in music, which comes with responsibility, and we are constantly asking ourselves how to be more relevant and leverage our iconic past to be more creative the older we become as a brand. Our future depends on our team’s passion and pride in the work they do, and on creative collaboration with our artists around the world across genres of music. When music is at its best, the spirit of the fan merges with the spirit of the artist, and that transcendent experience is special. I can’t wait to get started, keep momentum, and press ahead.”
An accomplished musician, guitarist and songwriter, Cesar has performed with and recorded alongside many artists. Cesar earned a B.A. in Business from Universidad de San Andres, Buenos Aires, Argentina and an M.B.A. from The University of Chicago focused on Analytic Finance and Economics.
His Gibson role melds his 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur and financier, investing in companies around the world. He has completed three large successful exits including his first +$1.5bn exit in 2021 related to a telecommunications company he co-founded in 2014.
Prior to Gibson, Cesar co-founded Melody Capital Partners, an alternative asset manager focused on private corporate financing, restructuring and investing. Under his leadership, Melody grew from a seed investment of $100 million to more than $1.5 billion in assets under management investing in companies around the world across consumer brands, telecom, real estate, music and entertainment and F&B.Prior to co-founding Melody, Cesar held leadership roles at UBS and Deutsche Bank, in London and New York. Cesar earned a B.A. in Business from Universidad de San Andres, Buenos Aires, Argentina and an M.B.A. from The University of Chicago focused on Analytic Finance and Economics.
Gibson, the leading iconic guitar brand, has shaped the sounds of generations of musicians and music lovers across genres for 130 years. Founded in 1894 and headquartered in Nashville, Gibson Brands has a legacy of world-class craftsmanship, legendary music partnerships, and progressive product evolution that is unrivaled among musical instrument companies.
The Gibson Brands portfolio includes Gibson, as well as many of the most beloved and recognizable music brands, including Epiphone, Kramer, MESA/Boogie, KRK, and Maestro effect pedals.
www.gibson.com
