The founders of Kona Bicycles — Dan Gerhard & Jake Heilbron — are excited to announce that Charles Russell will be joining the senior management team managing sales & marketing, effective May 5th, 2025.
Since retaking control of Kona Bicycles in May 2024, Dan & Jake have been bringing back some of the experienced and respected Kona staff from Kona 1.0, including recent returnees to the US sales team, Adam Clark (US sales manager), Dale Plant (Alaska, New England, Michigan) and Joe Hamilton (Southeast) to take advantage of the fantastic growth opportunities in the bicycle industry in the coming years. As an industry pioneer and leader, Kona remains committed to building industry-leading bikes in mountain, gravel, transportation, youth and e-mobility.
Charles is a proven leader with exceptional senior management experience, especially in the bicycle industry. He turned his passion for riding into a career, beginning as a sales rep in the mid 1990's and moving on to executive positions in global sales and marketing with several leading bicycle brands. Charles lived and worked in Europe, Canada and the US for a variety of global brands, including Rocky Mountain Bicycles, Yeti Cycles and Cannondale, giving him a unique perspective on building brand recognition and demand around the world. In addition to working with some of the best bike brands he also spent time working with Sugoi, POC and Herschel Supply Co.
"We are really thrilled to have Charles join Kona," said Jake Heilbron "The next few years are going to be really exciting ones for Kona and the bicycle industry, so Charles is a tremendous addition to our team. He brings a proven history of executing the right go-to-market strategies, while building specialty and major business globally. Charles' experience as a key leader for several premium multi-national consumer brands, will be integral in helping to shape the future of the Kona Bicycle Company."
"I've spent the last couple of years looking for the right opportunity. After meeting with Jake and Dan, I believe I'll be a great addition for their vision to continue to build this legendary brand", said Charles. "With great determination to win and continuously improve and excel with trusted brands, I'm thrilled to be coming back to the bike business."
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Charles Russell
