Commercial carpet manufacturer Bentley announced changes at the top of its organization, effective June 1, 2022. Long-time company leader and current president Jim Harley will retire. Jay Brown, a seasoned industry executive who joined Bentley two years ago as vice president of operations, will take the helm as president and chief operating officer. 

“Bentley is the strong, resilient, competitive company it is today because of Jim’s leadership,” said Cyrille Ragoucy, chief executive officer of Bentley’s parent company, Balta Group nv, the Belgium-based manufacturer of textile floorcoverings. “We are thankful for his vision, strategy and commitment to our brands. I am confident Jay will continue the momentum and lead Bentley into its next chapter.”

“I’m so excited about the future of Bentley,” said Brown, who previously held various leadership positions at Interface and Multi Packaging Solutions. “We have an extraordinary group of people and I look forward to working more closely with them as we deliver on our plans to grow our brand and address the evolving needs of our customers and the industry.”

Richard French, who has been with Bentley since 2017, will continue to further bolster Bentley’s growth trajectory and meet the demands of a dynamic market as senior vice president and chief commercial officer. He remains based in Atlanta.

Harley will remain onboard in an advisor role to assist Brown as needed in the transition.