David Peckinpaugh is taking the reins at Maritz following the transition of CEO & Chairman Steve Maritz, who led the 127-year-old St. Louis-based travel industry and professional services giant for 25 years.
Peckinpaugh, current president of Maritz Global Events and a meetings and events industry thought leader, will take over day-to-day management of parent company Maritz Holdings as president and CEO January 1, 2022.
The company said the executive leadership change marks a shift from Maritz being a long-term family management-run company to a company that features long-term family ownership. Maritz family members Steve, Ted, Willie and Jack Maritz will remain active shareholders and members of the Maritz Board of Directors.
“I’ve been proud to be a steward of this great company for 25 years. It was here a long time before me, and it will be here a long time after me,” said Steve Maritz in a press release announcing the move. “I believe it’s my responsibility to leave Maritz better than it was when I took over, and I think I’ve done that.”
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Peckinpaugh will continue in his role as president of Maritz Global Events, a position he has held for 11 years, with the other Maritz Holdings executive team members retaining their positions. Other Maritz Holdings businesses include Maritz Automotive and Maritz Motivation.
The other Maritz Holdings executive team members are:
- Rick Ramos, CFO and co-president of Maritz Motivation.
- Steve Gallant, general counsel and co-president of Maritz Motivation.
- Jeff Kellstrom, president of Maritz Automotive.
“Maritz is an incredible company that has reinvented itself and persevered to weather every single storm it’s faced, and there is nothing but opportunity on the horizon,” Peckinpaugh said in the press release. “We’ve led the markets we serve for years—automotive, events, employee recognition, loyalty and incentives markets—and we will continue to outpace our competition with solutions designed and delivered using the latest in behavioral science, design thinking and data-driven insights.”
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