Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
King Koil Hires 3 Industry Vets for Key Executive Posts
January 12,
2018 by Larry Thomas in Executive Changes, Industry 
On the heels of its recently announced transition to a direct manufacturing business model in the U.S., mattress producer King Koil has hired three industry veterans for key executive posts.
The company said Howard Galant, formerly senior vice president sales for E.S. Kluft & Company’s Western Division, will be executive vice president of sales for King Koil’s Western Division; Gary Wells, most recently a consultant in finance for Serta Simmons Bedding, will be chief financial and chief information officer; and Jayapal “JP” Seshadri, an international attorney for King Koil based in Asia, will relocate to its Chicago headquarters and become executive vice president of licensing and compliance.
“As we transition from a licensing to direct manufacturing model, we needed to enhance our senior leadership team with top-flight professionals,” said King Koil CEO David Binke. “In assembling the team to take our business to new levels of success, I’ve turned toward people with whom I have worked. These are the first of many new appointments we expect to announce over the next few weeks.”
Binke has been CEO of King Koil since September, joining the company after a five-year stint at E.S. Kluft.
In his new post, Galant will manage the company’s sales throughout the western U.S. He most recently was senior vice president of sales for E.S. Kluft, and had been with the company since 2010 in a variety of sales positions.
Wells will oversee the implementation of new technology and financial systems for the newly restructured company. Most recently a business and financial systems consultant with Serta Simmons Bedding Co., Wells was also the chief financial officer of E.S. Kluft for nearly four years.
In addition to other controller and CFO positions outside of the industry, Wells has worked with a number of bedding brands, including Chittenden & Eastman as COO and CFO and Sealy as regional controller.
Prior to joining King Koil in the U.S., JP was the general counsel for the King Koil group operating out of Singapore. Earlier, he held globally focused senior legal roles in a variety of industries.
In his new post, JP will be working with the company’s licensees, vendors and retailers to develop and execute business agreements.
In conjunction with the new appointments, Owen Shoemaker, King Koil’s chief operating officer, will take a more focused role with the company’s international licensing network. The company said Shoemaker will be working to assemble a team of executives around the globe to provide a strong network of services and resources to better serve the company’s international business partners.