Pure Fishing today announced Dave Allen as Chief Executive Officer, replacing Harlan Kent who has made the decision to step back from day-to-day operations. Effective immediately, Kent will move into a new role as a member of the Company’s board of directors and an advisor on a number of special projects.
Kent led the company for the last four years, during a transformative period. Under his leadership, the company established itself as an independent business and made a number of strategic acquisitions, including PLANO/Frabill and Svendsen Sport, to position Pure Fishing for continued growth around the globe.
“It has been my great honor and pleasure to lead Pure Fishing during my tenure as CEO and I am proud of the work we have done to establish this company as an industry leader over the last few years,” said Kent. “The future continues to be very bright for Pure Fishing and our brands, and I am excited to see what the future holds under Dave’s leadership.”
Allen is taking the reins as CEO of Pure Fishing to lead the company into an exciting next phase. Allen has more than 30 years of relevant leadership experience, including over a decade in the outdoor recreation space. He was most recently President and CEO of IGLOO, where he successfully led the re-imagination of the brand. Prior to that, Allen was the Group President at Vista Outdoor with responsibility for more than 35 brands and President of Coleman. He spent the first 17 years of his career with Unilever.
“Pure Fishing has some of the most iconic brands in the space, and a talented team comprised of some of the industry’s brightest experts and innovators,” said Allen. “There is so much opportunity ahead for the company and our people, and I’m excited to get started.”
