SPOTLIGHT ON THE CEO
10 Questions with Niko Lahanas With Central Garden & Pet Company
In this issue of IR Update, we profile Niko Lahanas, Chief Executive Officer of Central Garden & Pet Company (Central). Lahanas became Chief Executive Officer of Central in September 2024, where he leads the broad $3.2 billion portfolio of more than 65 pet and garden brands with a team of over 6,000 employees, primarily across the United States. From 2017 until he became CEO, Niko served as
Chief Financial Officer at Central. He joined Central in 2006 and has held a variety of finance positions within the company, including Senior Vice President of Finance, Operations Management & Reporting, Chief Financial Officer of the Pet Segment, Vice President of Corporate Financial Planning & Analysis, and Director of Business Performance of the Garden segment, focusing on business unit profitability. Before joining Central, Niko worked in private equity and investment banking for over eight years. Niko earned his BA in Psychology from the
University of California, Berkeley and his MBA from The George Washington University. Thanks to Friederike Edelmann, Vice President,
Investor Relations & Corporate Sustainability at Central, for arranging this interview.
1 0 FA LL 20 2 5 ■ IR UPDAT E
Your early career experience working on Wall Street gives you a perspective that is somewhat unique among CEOs. How does that influence your view of investor relations (IR) and its importance to the company? My years on Wall Street gave me a deep understanding of how investors think, what they value, and how they evaluate manage- ment teams. Having worked on the buy side and in investment banking, I know how important transparency, consistency, and credibility are in investor relations. I see IR not just as a compliance function, but as a strategic bridge between the company and the investment community. It’s about building long-term trust by being straightforward about opportunities and challenges and ensuring our narrative reflects the true culture and strategy of Central.
Your company has grown largely through mergers and acquisitions (M&A)—more than 60 of them in 40 years. How has that helped to grow your investor base and the value of your company? M&A has been central to Central’s evolution. Over four decades, we’ve completed more than 60 acquisitions that have allowed us to expand into adjacent markets, scale our core pet and garden busi- nesses, and enhance key capabilities such as eCommerce and digital. We are disciplined, value-driven buyers with clear acquisi-
tion criteria. We focus on high-growth, high-margin, fast-moving consumable businesses that have a moat or barrier to entry, a strong brand, and an accretive margin and growth profile. Just as important, we invest in strong management teams and place a
ni ri .org/ irupdate
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31
