For experienced large company executive Michael Polk, the decision to serve as an executive of a smaller private company was a significant choice. Polk has decades of experience driving change and transformation at large public companies, with an illustrious career working at Procter & Gamble, Kraft Foods, Unilever, and Newell Brands, where he was CEO from 2011 to 2019.
While Polk believes he grew tremendously as a leader and executive in his over 35 years in large public companies, he believes the growth one can get in smaller, private companies can be equally rewarding and the challenges test leaders in different ways earlier in one’s career.
Polk came out of retirement in 2020 to lead the transformation of Private Equity firm Berkshire Partners’ portfolio company, Implus LLC. Implus is a leading Fitness Accessories Portfolio company with 16 brands in the portfolio and a multi-national footprint.