Rad Energy Bikes has introduced the appointment of Kathi Lentzsch as its new Chief Govt Officer, marking a management change as the corporate leans additional into retail enlargement and reduces its emphasis on direct-to-consumer (D2C) gross sales.
Earlier this week, Electrek broke the information relating to Rad’s earlier CEO Phil Molyneux’s sudden unannounced departure from the model, whose gross sales as soon as topped the US e-bike market however has since been eclipsed by various youthful e-bike corporations.
Lentzsch, described as a seasoned govt with expertise in consumer-facing and business-to-business (B2B) corporations, steps in at a important second as Rad transitions away from its D2C roots towards a stronger retail presence.
Lentzsch brings greater than thirty years of management expertise, having held govt roles at Bartell Medicine, Pottery Barn, Pier 1 Imports, and Value Plus World Market. She performed a key function in remodeling manufacturers, guiding corporations by development phases, and deepening buyer engagement—an expertise that ought to align with Rad’s push towards a extra conventional retail mannequin.
“Rad Energy Bikes is at an inflection level, shifting from a direct-to-consumer mannequin to a extra retail-focused method, and it’s an unimaginable time to return on board,” mentioned Lentzsch. “This shift creates new alternatives to succeed in extra riders, strengthen buyer relationships, and evolve the model in significant methods. What drew me to Rad is its unwavering dedication to innovation, sustainable transportation, and, most significantly, placing riders first. I’m desirous to work alongside this proficient crew to construct on Rad’s sturdy basis of manufacturing nice merchandise and partnering with the perfect bike retailers to convey these ebikes to riders, full with a Rad Grin.”
Her appointment follows Rad Energy Bikes’ current strikes to ascertain brick-and-mortar retail partnerships, a departure from its early days as a purely on-line D2C model. The shift comes because the broader electrical bike market matures, with extra corporations hoping to leverage the significance of in-person gross sales and repair to succeed in mainstream prospects.
Lentzsch beforehand served as CEO of Bartell Medicine, the place she led the corporate by a pandemic-era transformation and an eventual merger with Ceremony Help. Her management at Pottery Barn was instrumental in repositioning it as a premium house model, whereas her tenure at Enesco helped earn the corporate a “World’s Finest Office” distinction in 2015.
As Rad Energy Bikes continues refining its retail technique, the corporate is hoping that Lentzsch’s expertise in model evolution, strategic development, and buyer expertise will place her to steer the corporate into its subsequent section. Whereas Rad constructed its repute as a direct-to-consumer powerhouse, this newest transfer indicators a significant technique rethink to increase entry to its e-bikes by bodily shops and bike store partnerships.
