Franklin Electric Appoints New CFO

Fort Wayne-based Franklin Electric Co. Inc. (Nasdaq: FELE) has selected Jeffrey Taylor as its new chief financial officer. Taylor, who most recently served as CFO of Georgia-based Blue Bird Corp. (Nasdaq: BLBD), will succeed John Haines, who has retired.

In addition to his tenure with the school bus manufacturer, Taylor also served as CFO of Lafayette-based Wabash National Corp. (NYSE: WNC) from 2014 to 2020. He also held various finance roles at companies, including Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) subsidiary King Pharmaceuticals and Eastman Chemical Co. (NYSE: EMN), both based in Tennessee.

“Jeff brings strong financial leadership, operational expertise and public company experience to Franklin Electric,” Gregg Sengstack, chief executive officer of Franklin Electric, said in a news release. “His deep experience in supporting commercial and manufacturing organizations and proven track record of driving change that supports long-term value creation will be invaluable.”

Franklin Electric says Haines will remain for an interim period to support Taylor during the transition. Haines has been with the company since 2008.

“He has led our finance organization through a period of significant growth, both organic and inorganic,” said Sengstack. “As a key member of the Franklin leadership team, he had a significant impact on our strategic direction and made many contributions to our Company. John will be available for the balance of 2021 to assist Jeff with his transition to Franklin Electric.”