Pilot Company recently announced that CEO Jimmy Haslam will become chairman of the board on January 1, 2021, naming Shameek Konar, the company’s chief strategy officer, to replace him as CEO.

Founder’s Jim and Jimmy Haslam will remain involved in the business as chairman emeritus and chairman, respectively. The transition of Konar to the role of CEO will continue over the next six months.

“Since day one with Pilot in 2017, Shameek has shown his dedication to advancing our company and the industry,” said Haslam, current CEO. “Shameek has successfully launched and grown our Pilot Energy business and become a key member of our leadership team. His knowledge of the energy sector, including expertise in the acquisition, development and operations of infrastructure assets and resources, and his deep appreciation of Pilot’s culture and values are a few of the reasons why we chose him to be our next CEO.”

Konar has more than 20 years of experience in the energy and commodity market focusing on acquiring, integrating, and optimizing assets. He has a degree in economics and mathematics from St. Stephens College in India and a PhD in economics and finance from Vanderbilt University.

“Thanks to Jimmy and Ken Parent’s leadership, we are well positioned for what’s ahead and have an incredible team to get us there,” said Konar. “When joining the Pilot family, I was immediately drawn to the strong culture that Jimmy and the entire Haslam family created. As CEO, I will be deeply committed to keeping those values in place and investing in our team, while also working to better serve our guests, advance our goals and continue to strategically grow the business.”

Effective immediately, Konar will take on additional responsibilities, including the management of technology, human resources, finance, and legal. As CEO, store operations and development will be added to Konar’s role in 2021. In January, Parent will become senior advisor to the CEO and the chairman. The rest of Pilot’s management team will stay in place. In 2021 and beyond, Whitney Haslam Johnson will continue to serve as chief experience officer and member of the board, and Bill Haslam will serve on the board.