May 14, 2025 I Appointments
Sweetwater Promotes Bob Shepherd, Kenric Knecht to Senior Leadership
Bob “Shep” Shepherd and Kenric Knecht.
Sweetwater has announced two leadership promotions, along with the creation of a new senior leadership role.
Bob “Shep” Shepherd has taken on the newly created role of senior vice president of business intelligence and analytics. A 25-year veteran of the music retail industry, Shepherd spent the last seven years serving as Sweetwater’s senior vice president of merchandising. In his new role, Shepherd will partner with business leaders across the company to drive operational performance and outcomes. He will report to CFO Greg Clark.
“Shep’s experience and track record of strong performance across many disciplines at Sweetwater demonstrate he is uniquely qualified to lead a world-class team of analysts to elevate Sweetwater’s level of insights and actionable strategies,” Clark said.
Additionally, Kenric Knecht has been promoted to vice president of merchandising. In this role, Knecht will oversee the merchandising efforts previously implemented by Shepherd. This includes leading Sweetwater’s best-in-class strategies for product assortment, pricing, promotions and vendor relationships. Previously, Knecht served as a vice president of merchandising for drums and band and orchestra (B&O). He will report to chief supply chain officer Phil Rich.
“With over 30 years of experience in numerous disciplines and leadership roles, Kenric is one of the top professionals in the music industry today,” Rich said. “I’m confident that under Kenric’s leadership, we will continue our mission of developing our people, partnering with our vendors, serving our community, and ensuring every customer experiences the Sweetwater difference.”
