Josh Jepsen, one of the developers of Deere & Co.’s Leap Ambitions, has been selected senior vice president and chief financial officer by the Moline-based company’s board of directors.
Mr. Jepsen, 44, will succeed Raj Kalathur effective Friday, Sept. 16. Mr. Kalathur will continue as president of John Deere Financial and Deere’s chief information officer.
Mr. Jepsen has been with Deere for 23 years, working in a broad range of accounting and financial-analysis roles across the company’s manufacturing and North American sales and marketing operations, according to a Deere news release. He also was manager of commercial operations outside the United States and Canada for the company’s Construction & Forestry division. In addition, he served as controller for the Asia Pacific and Africa region, based in Singapore.
He joined Deere’s Investor Relations team as manager of investor communications in 2015 and in 2018 became its director, where he played a key role in developing the Leap Ambitions, which are goals designed to boost economic value and sustainability for Deere’s customers. He also was instrumental in setting up the company’s sustainability organization, the release said. Mr. Jepsen assumed the duties of deputy financial officer earlier this year.
“Josh’s broad range of financial and operational experience, along with his strong knowledge of our business and our Smart Industrial operating model, have prepared him well to serve as chief financial officer,” Deere Chairman and CEO John May said in the release.
“He’s additionally established a strong record as an insightful leader, a champion of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and a proven cultivator of talent, all which will serve us well as we continue to focus on executing our strategy and delivering increased value to our stakeholders,” Mr. May added.
