I wasn’t up to speed on this. I just found and read an article about JANA. Agreed, a very good thing is about to be ruined. Think that Michael Douglas character in Wallstreet. This is really pretty depressing.
Harry Arnett leaving Callaway
One off center core and its off with your head. Jeez Louise.
Best of luck in your future endeavors.
Best of luck in your future endeavors.
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Crazy to hear. All of the best wishes to him. What he and the rest of the team over at Callaway did over the past 5-7 years is downright insane. The turn around and leading the way how companies interact with golfers, really insane.
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Hope not, but the writing seems to be on the proverbial wall. Looks like someone has been doing some reading! Time will tell. Bobby Axelrod is claiming a stake!
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Many THPers know Harry and sadly I'm not one of them. However, this move likely makes a ton of career sense and has nothing to do with his current role.
Harry's around 50, a proven Marketing EVP of a $1.2B+ public company (that's huge) with enormous consumer branding success. Add the company's impressive global growth over the last few years to his charismatic personality and you have an ideal candidate for the president of a smaller public company or a well-funding VC spin-up/spin-out. Marketing is the most common route to the top chair. Successful CEOs, such as Chip Brewer, realize they need talented people to achieve their goals and they often serve as mentors to select members of the executive staff. This could explain Harry's Ogio assignment. If some of the above rationale is correct, then Chip and Harry have been working on this plan for several years.
Again, this is pure speculation but I'm guessing Harry accepted the top leadership position for an incredible opportunity. Time will tell if I'm onto something or on something.
Dang man, brains and a good golfer. Well played and I agree 100% (even if it’s with 80% of the brainpower, lol).
erock9174
Well-known member
So do we know if his departure was his choice or was it a thanks, see ya situation ?
i posted above that it made me sad as well, and i wasn’t really sure why. i mean, people leave industry or move jobs all the time. why do i have an emotional attachment to this? thinking about it this morning i might have an answer.
callaway media has led to a massive amount of content that is (to me) highly differentiated from its competitors. callaway has excelled at introducing you not only to its tour player staffers, but also to its media and marketing staff.
for several years we have been invited to pull up a chair and listen to the zoo crew banter about golf, entertainment, music, and life. we are privileged to hear and watch them interact in podcasts and episodes, and it’s impossible to come away with any impression other than these people love golf, love what they do, and love each other.
with that access, and with a time commitment to consume the content, it’s likely that we begin to feel as if we know these people. we become emotionally invested. the genius behind it is that this emotional investment can shape product purchases, but the content transcends marketing and advertisement and purchase influence to become a bonding experience.
for a thp member, that bond can be even deeper. whether participating or following at home, we have been witness to these men and women opening their doors and spending their time to connect with us and make us feel that not only do they want us to be a part of the callaway family, but they genuinely consider themselves a part of our thp family.
so with the exit of the man many of us likely see as the father of it all, we may be mourning his loss. a member of the family we have grown to love and feel bonded to is now leaving, and that is difficult to process.
it sounds absurd and melodramatic. but i think it explains what i’m feeling. but it also speaks to the execution of his vision and efficacy of his direction. what a legacy to leave.
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My old man is all about this sort of corporate jibber jabber, and he says all signs point to Callaway Golf as we know it being dismantled.
I don't know enough to have an opinion either way.
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Yeah. It looks like a lot of meddling is about to occur and the company as we know it will be changed significantly.
Funny thing is the investment group are listed as “Activist Investors” what do they want with a golf company and its subsidiaries?
Also looking at their “leadership” there is a former Nike Golf person on that team. If that doesn’t tell you all you need to know I don’t know what does.
Either way I hate crap like this. I get trying to maximize revenue and maybe dumping JackWolfskin bc it is weighing you down, but to mess with the core golf that has elevated your brand makes zero sense to me.
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I love love love what this man has brought to Callaway and the industry at large: a sense of personality and ownership and inclusion.
Sad to see him go.
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Sad to see him go.
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Harry Arnett leaving Callaway
Generally, what I have seen in many corporate companies, when a strong management and good leader is forced out, that person eventually takes with them many to the next endeavor. I wonder how much Callaway is in for change over the next year or so and what philosophy changes are on tap for the person who replaces Harry?
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Generally, what I have seen in many corporate companies, when a strong management and good leader is forced out, that person eventually takes with them many to the next endeavor. I wonder how much Callaway is in for change over the next year or so and what philosophy changes are on tap for the person who replaces Harry?
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This was crazy to read.. He will be missed for sure and I wish him well and have no doubt he'll have success wherever he goes. I'm a little sad I never got the chance to meet him but feel like I know him from all the events I've followed
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Myself like a lot of other guys here have never met Harry but even so, I wish him all of the best in his future endeavors while thanking him for what he has done and accomplished at Callaway.
I really enjoyed getting to meet Harry last year and listen to his quick wit and obvious love for Callaway at that time. I thank him for all he has done for the average golfer, the community here at THP and especially for me. In over 60 years of playing golf I've never had as much enjoyment as I have had these last several years playing Callaway equipment and culminating with the experience of my lifetime, #TheGrandaddy! How he and his team welcomed us, embraced us and treated us that week will not be soon forgotten. I wish him success and happiness in his future endeavors wherever and whatever they might be.
mikedean441
6X HOF
I think his Instagram post kinda spells it out
Years ago, my dad was CEO of what became a very large risk management company in Chicago that was part of an even larger insurance company. Someone's nephew or cousin or something was put on the board of the parent company for my dad to answer to. He told them to remove the new guy, sell the company, or he was leaving and taking everyone with him. He left, took everyone with him, and the company eventually failed(failed in the sense it lost a lot of business). It was sold off, combined with another former large insurance company which was then sold to a company in Georgia, of which my dad was president.
erock9174
Well-known member
Sorry I’m not on the gram
Is there anything that specifically states he was forced out? I couldn’t read into his statements either way. If so it’s a big mistake on the VC’s part IMO.
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Harry Arnett leaving Callaway
I have no knowledge if Harry was forced out. Only going by my gut, when a person is very suddenly expecting to leave a company and not retiring with the caveat it is a mutual decision, that doesn’t usually mean this was solely Harry’s decision. Add on top of that the new investment company buying a large portion of Callaway stock and immediately saying there would be changes and some pieces would or should be sold off.
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I have no knowledge if Harry was forced out. Only going by my gut, when a person is very suddenly expecting to leave a company and not retiring with the caveat it is a mutual decision, that doesn’t usually mean this was solely Harry’s decision. Add on top of that the new investment company buying a large portion of Callaway stock and immediately saying there would be changes and some pieces would or should be sold off.
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Totally agree! Just thought you may have seen/heard something I hadn’t.
I was with a company for 27 years when they were sold. Similar shake ups from the VC group. I saw the writing on the wall and finally left after suffering thru 2 years of bullsh$t. Looks like he may have been a little smarter than me. Ha, I think he is! He’ll be just fine!
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I imagine he has a number of options. He decided to pay the ball verus having the ball play him. That takes a big set.
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Another site has finally just announced this news on their social media. The type of comments I feel sum up the type of people they attract pretty well.
Really hoping the best for Harry. I would have never considered Callaway and honestly never really heard much from the company before he and the rest of the newer team at the time arrived on scene.
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Really hoping the best for Harry. I would have never considered Callaway and honestly never really heard much from the company before he and the rest of the newer team at the time arrived on scene.
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You should check out the Mark King Taco Bell thread.