Harley-Davidson taps Root as new chief financial officer

Harley-Davidson has announced that Jonathan Root, SVP of Harley-Davidson Financial Services (HDFS), has been appointed as chief financial officer for Harley-Davidson, Inc., effective immediately.

Root succeeds Gina Goetter, who stepped down in April to join the toymaking company Hasbro.

“Jonathan is a proven leader with extensive knowledge of our business, matched with strong financial acumen – we’re excited to have him in place to lead the finance organization at Harley-Davidson,” says Jochen Zeitz, chairman, president and CEO of Harley-Davidson.

In his role as SVP at HDFS, Root oversaw the global HDFS business as president of Eaglemark Savings Bank, president of Harley-Davidson Insurance, and president of all other HDFS subsidiaries. Root has been responsible for both strategy and execution of the company’s motorcycle retail lending, branded credit card partnerships, commercial lending, and retail/commercial/insurance operations.

Root joined HDFS in 2011 and has held multiple roles across the company, including VP, Insurance. Prior to that, he held a variety of roles at Ally Financial, Inc., GMAC Financial Services, Inc., and General Motors, Inc.