Key Takeaways:
- Burton Snowboards has named Denny Bruce as its next Chief Executive Officer, effective September 21, 2026.
- Bruce previously served as Burton’s Mid-Atlantic Brand Manager from 2003 to 2005 and has since held senior leadership roles at Vans and Skullcandy, led Dickies as Global Brand President and served as CEO of Gozney.
- Donna Carpenter, Burton’s owner and interim CEO since June 2026, will continue as Chairman of the Board.
Burton Snowboards, the largest snowboard company in the world, has named Denny Bruce Chief Executive Officer, effective September 21, 2026. He succeeds Donna Carpenter, Burton’s owner, who has served as interim CEO since longtime CEO John Lacy’s June 2026 departure, and will continue as Chairman of the Board.
The appointment comes as Burton approaches its 50th anniversary and looks to the future of Burton, Anon, the company’s helmet and goggle line, and snowboarding broadly.
A Former Burton Brand Manager
Bruce’s history with Burton dates back more than two decades. He served as the company’s Mid-Atlantic Brand Manager from 2003 to 2005 before building a career scaling global consumer brands, holding senior leadership roles at Vans, Skullcandy, and Traeger.
As Global Brand President of Dickies at VF Corporation, he led the transformation of the 100-year-old brand across core and premium lifestyle channels. Most recently, he served as CEO of Gozney, where he took the company from a Europe-focused DTC business to a global omnichannel brand.
“When we started this search, I knew we needed someone pretty unusual, someone who could lead and grow a global business, but who also deeply understood our culture, our values, our sport and why protecting the heart and soul of this company matters so much,” Carpenter said in a statement. “Denny doesn’t need to be taught what Burton means or why snowboarding matters. It’s already part of who he is. He loves what Burton is, believes in what we can become, and has the experience to get us there. He respects what it means to be rider-driven, and he understands that being family-owned is one of our greatest strengths. It’s hard to imagine a better next chapter.”
“Burton is the steward of a sport so many of us have fallen in love with, a community born from people who chose to stand sideways and see fresh snowfall as a blank canvas,” Bruce said in a statement. “There’s a deep bench here, and I’m looking forward to bringing what I’ve learned over the past two decades to help carry Burton into its next 50 years and to be an advocate for the community that has been foundational to everything I’ve done in my career. To come back to the company where my snowboarding career began, and to work alongside Donna mentoring the next generation, is incredibly meaningful to me.”
Burton was founded in 1977 by the late Jake Burton Carpenter, who launched the company from his Vermont barn. Donna Carpenter, his wife and longtime business partner, stepped in as interim CEO in June following Lacy’s departure after nearly 29 years with the company.
Under Bruce, Burton will remain rider-driven, continue listening to the community that built it, and stay focused on creating industry-leading products and experiences, expanding participation in snowboarding, and building both Burton and Anon for the ride ahead, the company said.
Bruce will relocate to Vermont and be based at Burton’s headquarters in Burlington.
