Leslie's, Inc. (LESL) Announces CEO Transition

Leslie’s, Inc. (“Leslie’s” or the “Company”; NASDAQ: LESL), the largest and most trusted direct-to-consumer brand in the U.S. pool and spa care industry, today announced the appointment of Jason McDonell as Chief Executive Officer, effective September 9, 2024. Mr. McDonell will also join Leslie’s Board of Directors at that time.

John Strain, Leslie’s Chairman of the Board, has been appointed Interim Chief Executive Officer, and will lead the Company until Mr. McDonell assumes the role of Chief Executive Officer. Michael Egeck, age 65, has departed the Company and resigned from his Board seat.

Mr. McDonell is a senior executive with nearly 30 years of experience in retail and consumer products. He most recently served as Executive Vice President, Merchandising, Marketing, and e-Commerce at Advance Auto Parts, where he was responsible for driving omnichannel growth across the Company’s $11 billion family of brands, managing more than 200 global suppliers and products and a global team of professionals. He previously spent 21 years with PepsiCo in positions of increasing responsibility, culminating with his role as Canada President and General Manager for PepsiCo Food, a $2.5 billion business, where he was responsible for the Canadian Frito-Lay and Quaker businesses. Mr. McDonell began his career in brand management at Procter & Gamble. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada and has completed a number of Executive Leadership Programs at Harvard Business School.

Mr. Strain said, “I am pleased to welcome Jason as the next CEO of Leslie’s and look forward to working with him. He brings to Leslie’s an impressive combination of retail and consumer products expertise, including a track record of building and growing industry-leading brands. His wealth of knowledge at the nexus of product, brand and marketing, combined with his operational experience and proven leadership abilities, make him well-suited to lead Leslie’s into its next chapter.”

Mr. McDonell said, “Leslie’s has an impressive foundation with its advantaged omnichannel platform, strong market position and superior customer service, and I am excited to be joining Leslie’s at this exciting time in the Company’s history. I have deep respect for the talented Leslie’s team, which has laid the groundwork to deliver sustainable growth as the pool industry normalizes, and I look forward to working with them to build on the Company’s efforts to drive long-term value creation.”

Mr. Strain added, “On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Mike for his contributions to Leslie’s over the past four years and wish him well.”

Company Reaffirms Full Year Fiscal 2024 Outlook

The Company also reaffirmed its outlook for the full year of fiscal 2024 consistent with the outlook provided on August 7, 2024.

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