Brunswick Names New President for Mercury Marine

Brunswick Corporation has named John Buelow executive vice president and president of Mercury Marine. Buelow was previously vice president, Global Operations, Mercury Marine and succeeds Chris Drees, who has decided to leave Brunswick to pursue opportunities outside the Company and the marine industry.  

Buelow joined Mercury Marine in 2004 and during the first six years of his Brunswick career held a variety of positions in Finance, including vice president and CFO of Brunswick Marine in EMEA and Asia-Pacific. From 2010 until 2023, Buelow held several leadership roles at Mercury’s global headquarters in Fond du Lac including: vice president, Business Development; vice president and general manager, Mercury Castings; vice president, Category Management & Strategic Planning; and for close to five years, vice president, Global Operations.  

During his tenure as head of Global Operations, Buelow was integral to planning and executing many significant enhancements and expansions of Mercury’s manufacturing facilities, and the launch of Mercury’s recent award-winning products including the 600hp V12 Verado outboard, the new V10 Verado outboards, and the Avator electric outboard family. He also drove innovative manufacturing improvements to Mercury plants across the globe, managed significant capital investments such as the recent outboard engine capacity expansion and the new distribution center in Brownsburg, Indiana, all while positively impacting the Company culture with a strong focus on employee wellbeing, safety, and sustainability. Buelow also contributed to Brunswick on an enterprise level where he played a crucial leadership role helping Brunswick’s global manufacturing facilities navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.