Aaron's announces new senior leadership

Aaron's has assembled a new senior leadership team to position the company for growth and success.



The company, led by CEO John W. Robinson, announced the following changes on Tuesday:



• Gilbert L. Danielson will step down as CFO. Until his retirement at the end of 2016, Danielson will remain executive VP, serving as a senior advisor to the leadership team and managing certain strategic projects.



• Steven A. Michaels, President, has been named Aaron's CFO and president of strategic operations. In addition to his responsibilities as CFO, Michaels will be responsible for several key business functions, including e-commerce, franchising, information technology, business development and manufacturing.



• Douglas A. Lindsay, former executive VP and chief operating officer of ACE Cash Express, Inc., has been named president of Aaron's Sales & Lease Ownership. He will be responsible for overseeing Aaron's store-based business, comprised of more than 1,200 company-operated stores and over $2.0 billion in revenues. His responsibilities will include operations, marketing, merchandising and real estate.



• Robert W. Kamerschen, executive VP, general counsel and corporate secretary, will also assume the role of chief administrative officer. He will be responsible for legal, compliance, corporate governance, risk management, government relations, external affairs, privacy and physical security.



• Tristan J. Montanero, senior VP of operations, has been named COO of Aaron's Sales & Lease Ownership. Montanero will have responsibility for company-operated store operations and field employees, as well as the HomeSmart division.



• Ryan K. Woodley will continue to serve as CEO of Progressive Leasing ("Progressive"), a leading virtual lease-to-own company, which Aaron's acquired in 2014. He also remains responsible for overseeing Dent-A-Med, Inc., a subsidiary of Progressive, which Aaron's acquired in 2015.



With the exception of Lindsay, who will join Aaron's on February 1, 2016, these appointments are effective Feb. 18. Michaels, Lindsay, Kamerschen and Woodley will report to John Robinson. Montanero will report to Lindsay.



"We have a talented senior leadership team in place which combines the institutional knowledge of Aaron's with new perspectives and relevant outside expertise," said Robinson. "We believe this team has the passion, skills and experience to continue driving Aaron's forward and ensure long-term success."



Aaron's currently has more than 2,000 company-operated and franchised stores in 47 states and Canada.