STIHL Inc. appointed Sean McGinnis as president, effective October 1, 2026. In this role, McGinnis will lead the STIHL Group’s largest market and subsidiary, with end-to-end responsibility for STIHL Inc. This includes full profit-and-loss ownership, leadership of the company’s Virginia Beach manufacturing and operations, and oversight of field sales and marketing teams throughout the United States.
"We are pleased to welcome Sean to STIHL," said Michael Traub, chairman of the STIHL Executive Board. "Sean brings a strong record of leading complex global operations while remaining closely connected to customers and dealers. His broad experience across commercial leadership, product strategy and emerging technologies will be valuable as STIHL Inc. builds on its strengths and pursues new opportunities in the U.S. market."
McGinnis joins STIHL after more than 25 years at Caterpillar Inc., where he held management positions across sales and marketing, product development and product management. He most recently served as president of Caterpillar Paving Products Inc., a billion-dollar global subsidiary that develops and manufactures equipment for road construction and maintenance, including asphalt pavers, cold planers and compactors.
As president of Caterpillar Paving Products Inc., McGinnis held full profit-and-loss ownership of the global subsidiary within Caterpillar, a $65 billion worldwide brand. He oversaw national and international paving product lines, led Caterpillar's Paving Product Strategy, and initiated a multiyear scaling effort designed to substantially grow the product and solutions business.
Over the course of his Caterpillar career, McGinnis worked extensively with the organization’s global network of local sales and servicing dealers – a go-to-market model with clear parallels to STIHL’s dealer-centered approach. He also led initiatives involving autonomy, electrification, advanced technology adoption, and the commercialization of emerging solutions.
“I have admired STIHL for years, both as a customer and as someone who understands the value of strong products, dedicated employees, and trusted local dealers,” said McGinnis. “I look forward to listening and learning from the STIHL team and the STIHL Dealer network, and working together to build on the company’s strong foundation to deliver even greater value to our customers.”
Reporting to the STIHL Executive Board, McGinnis will also serve as a member of the STIHL Inc. Board of Directors and the global executive team, contributing to global strategy, best-practice sharing and the development of scalable innovations from the U.S. market.
