Today, SIX sent an innocent looking email to its interested recipients, announcing a new CFO and a new General Counsel. Both come from exactly the same background as the new CEO, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics and prior to that, Dade Behring Inc. The executive bio for the new CFO says, in part, that he:

...negotiated and led the company through a debt restructuring and entry into the public equity market. He was instrumental in realigning the company's cost structure, leading to significantly improved profitability, cash flow and debt profile overall....

I consider this the most significant news to come from Six Flags Entertainment Corporation since the appointment of James Reid-Anderson as CEO. Much can be learned about where this company is headed from reading the bios of these three gentlemen and divining what is in common betweenst them.

http://investors.six...ovManage#Duffey

I find it intriguing how much of a focus the "History" page puts on the theme in Six Flags parks...

...A broad entertainment product, featuring innovative rides complemented by brilliant theme presentations, became his formula for success, and his ingenious use of themes turned the centuries-old amusement park idea into the broader theme park concept. Angus' vision, theming designed to enrich an entertainment experience, was right on target — and the regional theme park industry was born.Throngs flocked to Six Flags Over Texas when the park opened in 1961. Six themed sections, modeled after the culture of the six countries whose flags flew over Texas during the state's colorful history, created a spectacular and magical setting for guests — and provided the park's name. The inventive theming afforded guests a chance to experience places and times that previously only existed in their imaginations, including cowboy culture, French and Spanish cultures, and even southern belles and pirates.

Today, Six Flags has dedicated itself to setting the standard for theme park entertainment. Our 19 theme, water and zoological parks across North America are better than ever, offering today's families a complete one-stop diversified entertainment destination, from industry-leading thrill rides to water attractions, themed areas, children's areas, parades, concerts and shows, restaurants, games and merchandise outlets. Our licensing agreement with DC Comics and Warner Bros. Consumer Products allows Six Flags the exclusive theme park rights to many of the world's greatest cartoon characters and super heroes, from Bugs Bunny and his Looney Tunes friends to DC Comics Super Heroes Batman, Robin, The Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and The Flash, enabling Six Flags to offer our guests a full character program, including character meet and greets, meals, photograph and autograph opportunities and new retail options...

http://investors.six...rol-homeprofile

In the whole reading, no single mention to any of the thrills Six Flags has to offer.

It should also be noted that Jeffrey Speed has left the company to "pursue other opportunities."

I always find it funny that they always say "pursue other opportunities" as a nice way to say they were let go.

The other standard reason often seen is "is leaving the company to spend more time with family." That one always make me hoot...after all those years, suddenly the exec woke up and decided to spend more time with family. Perhaps 1 time out of 100, that may actually be the case!

The best one I've heard is "no longer with the company". When all else fails, state the obvious and don't go into detail.

^ yeah, the "no longer with the company" line is the most terse and is usually used when they're *really* PO'd at the recently ousted exec (A certain COO who recently--and suddenly--departed a major theme park company comes to mind...)

The funny thing is about the "leaving to spend more time with his/her family" line is usually that same exec lands at a new company a few months later...guess they figure out that *too* much time with the family isn't a good thing either