UPDATE 1-Harley taps Johnson Controls exec for top job

* Names Keith E. Wandell president and CEO
* Wandell replaces retiring CEO Jim Ziemer
* Says Matthew Levatich appointed president and COO

(Adds details, background, dateline)
CHICAGO, April 6 (Reuters) - Harley-Davidson Inc
said on Monday it has hired Keith Wandell, a top executive at
Johnson Controls Inc , to take over as the motorcycle
maker's president and chief executive when Jim Ziemer, who
currently holds those positions, retires next month.
Wandell, 59, currently serves as president and chief
operating at Johnson Controls, a Milwaukee-based maker of car
interiors, seating, batteries and building controls.
The company also announced that Matthew Levatich, a 15-year
veteran at Harley-Davidson, had been named president and chief
operating officer of its motor company unit, replacing James
McCaslin, who has been named executive vice president for
corporate product planning.
All three appointments are effective May 1.
Last December, Harley announced that Ziemer, the company's
58-year-old chief executive, would retire some time in 2009
after only four years at the helm.
The transition comes at a tough time for Harley-Davidson,
which has been hit by weaker consumer spending in the United
States, its biggest market, the paralysis of credit markets and
a worldwide economic slowdown.
The company has responded by slashing nearly 20 percent of
its workforce and closing several plants.
In January, Harley reported a sharper-than-expected 58
percent contraction in its fourth-quarter profit. The results,
which were pulled down by a big loss at Harley's in-house
finance unit, hammered its already battered shares, sending
them to their lowest level in more than 10 years. The stock has
rebounded significantly since then but still trades well off
its 52-week high.
The company is scheduled to report first quarter earnings
next week.
(Reporting by James Kelleher; editing by Gunna Dickson)
((james.kelleher@thomsonreuters.com ; +1 312 408 8130;
Reuters Messaging: james.kelleher.reuters.com@reuters.net ))
Keywords: HARLEYDAVIDSON/CEO

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