Universal names Preston D. Wigner as Chairman, President, and CEO effective Oct 1, 2024

UNIVERSAL CORP /VA/

George C. Freeman III retires as Chairman, President, and CEO effective Oct 1, 2024, not due to any disagreement.
Freeman will serve as Vice Chair through Dec 31, 2024, then Senior Advisor through March 31, 2025 to aid transition.
Wigner, age 55, has been with Universal over 20 years, most recently as Senior Vice President since Dec 2023.
Succession plan assisted by a global leadership advisory firm over two years; board cites strong momentum for timing.
Compensation changes for Freeman and Wigner to be determined later by the Compensation Committee.

item 5.02 item 7.01 item 9.01

Executive movements

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Appointed

Preston D. Wigner

Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

UVV · UNIVERSAL CORP /VA/

Effective: 2024-10-01
Filed: August 29, 2024, 7:59 PM ET

On August 23, 2024, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Universal Corporation (the “Company”) named Preston D. Wigner, Senior Vice President, as Chairman of the Board (“Chairman”), President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, effective October 1, 2024.

Departed

George C. Freeman, III

Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

UVV · UNIVERSAL CORP /VA/

Effective: 2024-10-01
Successor: Preston D. Wigner
Filed: August 29, 2024, 7:59 PM ET

George C. Freeman, III, who notified the Board of his retirement as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the Board on August 23, 2024, with such retirement effective October 1, 2024.

Key facts

Extracted from this filing and checked against the source text.

Executive change SEC 8-K Item 5.02 confidence 0.95

Preston D. Wigner was appointed as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer at UNIVERSAL CORP /VA/.

Action: appointed
Role: Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Exact text from the filing

On August 23, 2024, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Universal Corporation (the “Company”) named Preston D. Wigner, Senior Vice President, as Chairman of the Board (“Chairman”), President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, effective October 1, 2024.

View on SEC.gov

Executive change SEC 8-K Item 5.02 confidence 0.95

George C. Freeman, III retired as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer at UNIVERSAL CORP /VA/.

Action: retired
Role: Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Exact text from the filing

George C. Freeman, III, who notified the Board of his retirement as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the Board on August 23, 2024, with such retirement effective October 1, 2024.

View on SEC.gov

UNIVERSAL CORP /VA/ filing history →

Source: SEC EDGAR

accession 0001104659-24-094998

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