Our Leadership Team

Get to know our leadership team and what drives their passion for creating elevated experiences on the road and on the water.

Aine Denari

EVP & President, Navico Group and Brunswick CTO

Aine Denari

Marty Bass

President Market Operations, Americas

Marty Bass

Ton De Winter

President Market Operations, EMEA

Ton De Winter

Jarrod Sagar

President Market Operations, APAC

Jarrod Sagar

Jeremiah Clark

VP & GM, Fishing Systems

Jeremiah Clark

Kevin Steinbraker

VP & GM, Digital Systems

Kevin Steinbraker

Patrick Roberts

VP & GM, Performance Components

Patrick Roberts

VP, GM Power Systems

John Bennett

Chief Financial Officer

Brian Lockhart

Karly Ploederl

VP, Human Resources

Karly Maini

VP Innovation & Product Development

Marco Bracalente

VP, Marketing

Nancy Bernacchi

VP, IT

Kristen Bender

Director of Strategy & Business Development

Marikate Langan

Sara Kagay

General Counsel

Callie Carr

Aine Denari

EVP & President, Navico Group and Brunswick CTO

Aine Denari

Recent Experience: President, Brunswick Boat Group

 

Career Highlights: Prior to joining Brunswick in 2020, Aine held various leadership roles in the automotive and industrial sectors and in management consulting, located in North America and Europe. Immediately prior to joining Brunswick, she led the ADAS (Advanced Driver Assist Systems) business at ZF AG, a $40B global Tier 1 supplier. Her extensive background includes delivering transformational change and financial performance, as well as driving innovation and operational excellence.

 

Outside of work you can find me: Enjoying time with my husband and three kids at various sporting activities and on the water on our Sea Ray.

 

What excites you about the future of Navico Group? Our talented team is passionate about enhancing experiences on the water, leveraging our comprehensive portfolio of industry-leading products and technologies to deliver world-class solutions and systems.

 

What is the most exciting trend happening in our industry? Here at Brunswick, we are at the forefront of developing autonomous, connected, electrified and intelligent solutions for marine and beyond. These technologies are truly transformational, and I am excited about how we are integrating them into our products and solutions, to deliver enhanced consumer experiences.

Marty Bass

President Market Operations, Americas

Marty Bass

Recent Experience: President, America’s Market Operations


Career Highlights: Marty held various leadership positions with Mercury Maine for over 15 years, including five years as VP of Global Product Category Management, five years President of Europe, Middle East and Africa. Prior to Mercury, Marty served as an officer in the US Navy for over five years, working on engineering design teams for nuclear power plants on submarines and aircraft carriers.

What excites you about the future of Navico Group? Breadth of fantastic product technology and the potential to provide so much value to customers through OEM integration services in addition to having the best team in the industries we participate in.


What is the most exciting trend happening in our industry? The product trends Navico Group will be driving are the most exciting—digital systems integrations, connectivity, automation and electrification.

Ton De Winter

President Market Operations, EMEA

Ton De Winter

Career Highlights: Ton spent 9 years with PWC as a CPA and held several finance and management roles at international companies (o.a. with Tyco /Johnson Controls) and Private Equity (Vision Capital).


What inspires you? The development of young people, eager to step up, speak out and to take challenges on.


What is the most exciting trend happening in our industry?
The boating industry is finally becoming aware of the fact that the electrification is inevitable.

Jarrod Sagar

President Market Operations, APAC

Jarrod Sagar

Recent Experience:  Business Leader for ASG APAC


Career Highlights: Jarrod spent 5 years as a Product Development Manager and nearly a decade as a Business Leader, dedicated to developing the CZone brand.

Outside of work you can find me… On or in the water. My passion is boating.

What excites you about the future of Navico Group? We have the opportunity to redefine the industry with our technologies and product lines. We can deliver our end customers an exceptional experience.

 

What inspires you? Finding a solution to a problem, whether it is an improvement to our process or delivering a new product or feature that makes life easier for our customers.

Eric Linquist

VP & GM, Power Systems

Eric Lindquist

Recent Experience: COO Relion Battery


Career Highlights: Eric held executive leadership roles (CEO, COO, GM) with industry leading manufacturers, marketers and distributors within the sports & recreation (Wilson Sporting Goods & Nike), power sports (Polaris) and building material (EDCO Products) industries. He also led the start-up venture in Bio-Specialty Chemicals.

What excites you about the future of Navico Group? The opportunity to lead the transformation to alternative power source systems across a multitude of industries.

 

What inspires you? The opportunity to take our company and customers someplace new. I am driven to make Brunswick more than a marine company.

Jermiah Clark

VP & GM, Fishing Systems

Jeremiah Clark

Recent Experience: Executive Vice President, Lowrance

 

Career Highlights: Jeremiah has a long history of making products that anglers use to be more successful on the water, as well as diverse experience in service, sales, product management and brand/portfolio management.

 

What excites you about the future of Navico Group? The addition of so much diverse talent around the globe that we can leverage to build even better consumer experiences than we could have in the past.

 

What inspires you? The creativity in finding solutions to customer needs and providing our customers the best possible experience on the water that they can have.

 

What is the most exciting trend happening in our industry? The advancement in sonar provides newer and easier to interpret ways to see and understand the underwater environment.

Kevin Steinbraker

President Navico Group

Kevin Steinbraker

Recent Experience: VP Global Category & Product Management


Career Highlights: Kevin held the position of Director of Global Connected Product Strategy at Whirlpool Corporation, leading the product and category business teams.

Outside of work you can find me… At the beach, on the water, enjoying time with family or working with my hands.


What excites you about the future of Navico Group?
The opportunity to create and provide the best experiences for our customers and consumers.



The best part of working at Navico Group is… Our aspirations and capabilities to solve fun problems.

Patrick Roberts

VP & GM, Performance Components

Patrick Roberts

Recent Experience: Managing Director, Whale and Operations Director, ASG


Career Highlights: Patrick fully integrated the business from privately owned to a subsidiary of a Public Company and exceeded earnings growth against a stretching acquisition model. He championed the Lean Six Sigma program which has delivered millions in hard savings and accelerated NPD improving NPD Vitality index from 9% to 30%. He has led operations when the company was recognized with the Northern Ireland Quality Award and the Brunswick Chairman’s award for health and safety excellence. He also led operations when the company was recognised for 5 consecutive years as Sunday Times top 100 companies to work for in the UK.

Outside of work you can find me… In the West of Ireland fly fishing with my son at one of the many mountain loughs.


What excites you about the future of Navico Group? To be part of the world’s leading onboard and off board integrated systems provider. No one is better positioned to redefine the industry and deliver innovative solutions that will transform the user experience.

Karly Ploederl

VP, Human Resources

Karly Maini

Recent Experience: Director of HR, Mercury Marine supporting Engineering and Mercury Racing


Career Highlights: Karly worked with Oshkosh Corp in Human Resources supporting various functions of the business globally.


What excites you about the future of Navico Group? Navico Group is made up of extremely talented team members with a desire to do amazing work. I learn something new everyday with this team!


The best part of working at Navico Group is… Our ability to adapt and change in a complex environment and continue having fun doing it!

What is the most exciting trend happening in our industry? I’m so excited to see the growth in the market demonstrating that our products are at the center of a lifestyle choice made by many in the recent years.

VP, IT

Kristen Bender

Recent Experience: Director, Business Alignment


Career Highlights: Kristen has spent much of her career focusing on her passion, system optimization for Supply Chain and Operations and had a strong focus on ERP Transformation.

 

Outside of work you can find me: On or near the water, competitively playing tennis and absolutely anything outdoors!


What excites you about the future of Navico Group? The opportunity to bring together a diverse, talented group of professionals who will transform our technology landscape to enable a simplified experience for our customers.


The best part of working at Navico Group is: Our team, hands down.  We have an extremely capable and passionate group of individuals here at the Navico Group that I’m so proud to embark on the journey to making our division the leading provider of experiences on and off the water.

 

What is the most exciting trend happening in our industry? The ability that we have to create new and innovative products that are streamlined into a cohesive ecosystem.

Sara Kagay

General Counsel

Callie Carr

Recent Experience: Callie has spent time in private practice at the law firm DLA Piper as well as in-house counsel roles in the RV, semiconductor, and commercial consulting industries.


Outside of work you can find me: On a hike exploring the world around me.

What excites you about the future of Navico Group? Our work on tech/product developments that make spending time on the water or in your RV even more fun.

 

The best part of working at Navico Group is: Being able to work with a global team of people who are passionate about what they do.


What is the most exciting trend happening in our industry? The investment in new technology and product innovation.  

Chief Financial Officer

Brian Lockhart

Recent Experience: CFO, Sea Ray Boats 

 

Career Highlights: Brian has held multiple roles within Brunswick Corporation, starting out in the M&A group and later joining Brunswick Boat Group where he held lead accounting and finance roles for various aluminium and fiberglass boat brands.  Prior to Brunswick, Brian worked for Ernst & Young as a CPA in their transaction advisory practice. 

 

Outside of work you can find me: Outside of work you can find me out on the water enjoying the boating lifestyle (under power or sail). 

 

What excites you about the future of Navico Group? It is always exciting to see the next generation of marine/mobile technology come to life through our talented product and R&D teams.  Whether you are fishing, sailing or just hanging out in the cove, our products will continue to enhance the moments we spend with friends and family on the water. 

 

The best part of working at Navico Group is: The ability to work with talented team to support leading brands in the marine and mobile industries. 

 

What is the most exciting trend happening in our industry? It is great to see the use of technology as an enabler to allow more people to confidently and safely enjoy the boating lifestyle. 

VP, Marketing

Nancy Bernacchi

Recent Experience: Sr. Brand Director, Affirm

 

Career Highlights: Nancy built her career at creative agencies, including BBDO, 180LA and DDB partnering with brand and marketing teams across many industries – CPG, OLTA, Consumer Electronics, Retail. She took that experience to Dyson, where she built and led the Americas Commercial Center of Excellence, acting as a change agent to reinvent Dyson’s GTM strategy for the region, while influencing change around the globe. She took these tools to Affirm, where she drove operational change and elevated the brand output. She’s just as passionate to develop strategy as she is to drive operational optimization and is bringing both to our global marketing organization.

 

Outside of work you can find me: Either on a trip to somewhere new or planning my next trip!

 

What excites you about the future of Navico Group? Consumers expect intuitive design in everything – marine and RV are no exception. I’m excited that we’re able to innovate and deliver products that meet their expectations and surprise them by delivering on benefits they don’t even know to ask for yet.  

 

The best part of working at Navico Group is: Being able to drive marketing transformation at a company that is leading transformation of an entire industry. And the boating metaphors.  

 

What is the most exciting trend happening in our industry? I love that more people are choosing experiences over stuff, and seeing more people get on the water and on the road is exciting!

Director of Strategy & Business Development

Marikate Langan

Recent Experience: Director Strategy & Business Development, ASG 

 

Career Highlights: Marikate has spent her career unlocking the profit potential of organizations through strategic scaling and business transformation. For nearly a decade she established and led Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants’ growth, opening over 25 business units across the US. In later years, she partnered with organizations ranging from early-stage startups to large multi-nationals as a management consultant.  She led client organizations through a variety of strategy realization engagements such as targeted market entry campaigns, operating model transformations, IT modernizations, and post-merger integrations. 

 

Outside of work you can find me: Exploring a new place, hiking any mountain I can find or sitting around a table swapping stories with friends. 

 

What excites you about the future of Navico Group? Transforming the experiences and expectations of our customers and consumers by realizing the vision of Navico Group.  We are bringing together the most comprehensive bow to stern portfolio in the world. 

 

The best part of working at Navico Group is: Working with a team of incredibly talented and passionate people.  

 

What is the most exciting trend happening in our industry? Rapid industry transformation. Our centuries-old industry is evolving at a pace we have never seen before. Everything from shifts in consumer demographics to the emergence of disruptive technology are changing how we work and what we work on. Every day is an opportunity to challenge paradigms and relentlessly drive our team forward to explore the bounds of what is possible. 

 

VP Innovation & Product Development

Marco Bracalente

Recent Experience: VP of Product Development at Luminar Technology

 

Career Highlights: Marco is an accomplished engineering executive with over 24 years of experience in technology and product development with a focus on Advanced Driver Assistance Systems and Autonomous Driving. He has worked with top OEMs and technology partners globally, developing ideas into market-leading products. He successfully brought to market a range of products, including LiDAR, Radar, Camera, High Performance Compute, and others.

 

Outside of work you can find me: Enjoying outdoor activities with my family or working on my DIY projects. Soon on the water!

 

What excites you about the future of Navico Group? The opportunity to work with a motivated, talented, and diverse team that are committed to bringing the consumer experience in the Marine and RV space to a new level.

 

What is the most exciting trend happening in our industry? It is hard to choose. From electrification, to autonomy, to cloud connected services, to being in the unique position to lead the introduction of cutting-edge technology in our industry!

VP, GM Power Systems

John Bennett

Recent Experience: General Manager for ePowertrain Systems at Cummins

 

Career Highlights: As the General Manager for ePowertrain Systems at Cummins, John was responsible for leading the global ePowertrain business and growing the ePowertrain pipeline across regions. Prior to that, he was with Meritor for 30 years holding multiple positions, including chief technology officer, vice president of engineering and quality, general manager of global product strategy, and director of OEM sales.

 

Outside of work you can find me: Running, cycling, or attending sporting and music events.

 

What excites you about the future of Navico Group? The breadth of products we have and the variety of markets we serve in all regions of the world is exciting. I also believe we have tremendous opportunity to grow the business.

 

The best part of working at Navico Group is: Being part of a very diverse group of brands, people, product lines, market segments and customers. Every day brings a new and interesting challenge!

 

What is the most exciting trend happening in our industry? I believe the most exciting trend in our industry is the shift towards clean propulsion and hoteling solutions. We are seeing more customers replace diesel engines and generators with batteries to enhance their boating or camping experiences. Although there are still many challenges to overcome before this trend achieves widespread adoption, it is exciting to be at the forefront of developing solutions to make this transition happen. 

About Navico Group

We bring together the world-class brands, products and people to create groundbreaking innovations that reinvent the user experience from Marine & RV to Specialty Vehicles and beyond.