Briggs & Stratton appoints Kristina Cerniglia as CEO

Briggs & Stratton, one of the largest producers of engines for outdoor power equipment and a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of lithium-ion batteries, standby generators and energy storage systems, appointed Kristina Cerniglia as chief executive officer, effective immediately.

Kristina Cerniglia

Cerniglia brings more than 30 years of experience leading organizations in the manufacturing industry with her most recent venture being chief financial officer at Briggs & Stratton for nearly two years before being elevated to interim CEO in February 2024.

Cerniglia has made significant contributions to Briggs & Stratton and will continue to focus on execution and growth, driving rapid improvements in performance to better serve customers, according to the company. Prior to Briggs & Stratton, Cerniglia was the CFO and senior vice president with Hillenbrand after spending more than 23 years in various financial leadership roles with Stanley Black & Decker and United Technology Corporation.

“Kristina has the full support, confidence and trust of the board. Kristina possesses the leadership skills and experience needed to accelerate the company’s growth strategy and position Briggs & Stratton to achieve its full potential,” said Michael Psaros, chairman of Briggs & Stratton’s board of directors. “The company’s progress during Kristina’s initial tenure as CEO across every single metric is impressive. She will continue to execute the company vision and mission to deliver profitable growth.”