Retirement, for Michael Polk, turned out to be a brief intermission. After stepping down from Newell Brands in the summer of 2019, Polk enjoyed a few months out of the public company spotlight before returning to work in early 2020. His next assignment was a private equity turnaround, and it drew on nearly every skill he had accumulated across four decades in the consumer goods industry.

Berkshire Partners recruited Michael Polk as an advisory director and asked him to serve as CEO of Implus LLC, a fitness and wellness accessories company in its portfolio. The mandate was clear: transform the business. Polk approached the task the same way he had approached past overhauls, by addressing the portfolio, the culture, the organizational structure, and the leadership team simultaneously. He has referred to the initiative as the “double down” strategy, a phrase that captures its comprehensive, high-conviction character.

The work was not without complications. The global pandemic created logistical and commercial disruptions that would have tested any turnaround plan. Michael Polk Newell Brands and his team navigated those obstacles, and while the company’s specific financial results remain private, Polk has indicated that the owners and management are highly satisfied with the progress and the value creation underway.

A Career Defined by Willingness to Rebuild

What makes the Implus chapter notable is not simply that Polk took on another leadership role. It is that he chose a turnaround over a steady-state operation, just as he had done at Newell a decade earlier. The through-line in his career is not scale for its own sake but a consistent preference for situations where focused effort can produce meaningful change.

Michael Polk continues to serve as president and CEO of Implus and as an advisory director at Berkshire Partners. He has described each chapter of his career as a source of growth, and by that standard, the current chapter is no exception. Refer to this article for related information.

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