Problems finding successor Andrew Messick? Despite new year, no new Ironman CEO yet

It could just be that Ironman will announce its new CEO in the near future, but for now it has been remarkably quiet around the previously announced retirement of Andrew Messick and thus the appointment of a successor. Messick, who has been at the helm of the U.S. organizer for 12 years, announced in July that he would step down as CEO and present a successor by 2023, but so far that has not happened.

This leaves the question of who will be Messick’s successor. Ironman has had an eventful period and was often in the news pretty negatively in 2023. Messick himself played no insignificant role in that, with many considering his appearance on the How They Train podcast and subsequent banning of Jack Kelly – who was no longer welcome at Ironman races for asking critical questions – and certainly Ironman’s lack of communication following the fatal motorcycle accident at Ironman Hamburg as deepest lows.

So, while the calendar has since moved on to 2024, it seems Ironman is struggling to find a suitable CEO. Messick, at the time of writing – Jan. 1 – is still simply listed as CEO on Ironman’s own website. Since July, the time Messick announced his retirement, there has been no word about a possible successor.

No doubt Ironman will want to hurry the process along, because with the announcement of an IM Pro Series, 2024 promises to be an important year for the organizer.