Quiksilver parent company mourns loss of CEO
Efforts to locate the chief executive of Boardriders, who has been lost at sea since Tuesday, have not been successful.
French authorities have called off the search to find Pierre Agnes, 54, who took his boat out for fishing early on the morning of Jan. 30. He sent a message to port authorities later in the day to say that he was delaying his return due to thick fog. His empty, overturned boat was found later in the morning, on a beach near his hometown on the southwest coast of France. Agnes ran the Huntington Beach, Calif.-based company from its European headquarters in the town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz.
"The only solace we can take from this is that Pierre left us while doing something he loved – enjoying the vast and endless beauty of the ocean, which had been one of his life's passions,” said Greg Healy, global president for Boardriders. “I know that he saw the resurgence and growth of Quiksilver and Boardriders as his legacy, and our teams around the world are committed to honoring his memory by carrying the business forward with the same passion and energy he infused in us all."
Quiksilver hanged its name to Boardriders last year. Recently, the company, a subsidiary of Oaktree Capital Management, entered into a deal to buy Australian rival Billabong. The merger transformed the company into a leading action sports company, with over 630 retail stores in 28 countries, sales to over 7,000 wholesale customers in more than 110 countries, and e-commerce capabilities in 35 countries. In addition to Boardriders and Billabong, the company’s brands include Quiksilver, Roxy, and DC Shoes.
Boardriders said it will host several memorials around the world to Agnes’ life and accomplishments.
French authorities have called off the search to find Pierre Agnes, 54, who took his boat out for fishing early on the morning of Jan. 30. He sent a message to port authorities later in the day to say that he was delaying his return due to thick fog. His empty, overturned boat was found later in the morning, on a beach near his hometown on the southwest coast of France. Agnes ran the Huntington Beach, Calif.-based company from its European headquarters in the town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz.
"The only solace we can take from this is that Pierre left us while doing something he loved – enjoying the vast and endless beauty of the ocean, which had been one of his life's passions,” said Greg Healy, global president for Boardriders. “I know that he saw the resurgence and growth of Quiksilver and Boardriders as his legacy, and our teams around the world are committed to honoring his memory by carrying the business forward with the same passion and energy he infused in us all."
Quiksilver hanged its name to Boardriders last year. Recently, the company, a subsidiary of Oaktree Capital Management, entered into a deal to buy Australian rival Billabong. The merger transformed the company into a leading action sports company, with over 630 retail stores in 28 countries, sales to over 7,000 wholesale customers in more than 110 countries, and e-commerce capabilities in 35 countries. In addition to Boardriders and Billabong, the company’s brands include Quiksilver, Roxy, and DC Shoes.
Boardriders said it will host several memorials around the world to Agnes’ life and accomplishments.