A week after Quiksilver CEO Pierre Agnes set out to sea off the coast of France and was declared lost at sea by authorities, new leadership has been named to take over the Huntington Beach-based surfwear brand.

Dave Tanner, the company’s chief turnaround officer, will take over the role and responsibilities of chief executive, effective immediately, according to an announcement Tuesday.

Tanner was already set to take over as CEO of Quiksilver and its umbrella brand, Boardriders Inc. when a deal to merge with rival Billabong is expected to close later this year. Agnes was going to be president of the company.

Agnes’ 36-foot boat Mascaret III washed ashore Jan. 30, 2018, on an isolated beach in France without him on board. According to news sources, the 54-year-old businessman had sent a message to port authorities indicating that he was delaying his return because of thick fog. There was also rough surf in the area, his boat washing ashore near a famed surfing spot north of Biarritz.

Services will take place Friday near his hometown of Capbreton, France, according to industry website Shop-Eat-Surf.com.

Tanner said he’s “humbled and honored” to lead the company — which includes Quiksilver, Roxy and DC — into its next phase.

“We are all grief-stricken over the sudden and tragic loss of our friend Pierre Agnes. At the same time, we are resolute and passionately unified in our commitment to honor Pierre’s memory and extend his legacy by driving the continued resurgence and growth of Boardriders,” Tanner said in the news release. “While it is impossible to replace Pierre’s spirit, we have filled our team with talented and creative professionals who will continue to nurture the company’s unique culture, build on our past successes, and deliver on our now even more meaningful collective mission.”

Global Chief Financial Officer Thomas Chambolle will assume the additional responsibilities of interim president of Europe, Middle East and Africa regions, effective immediately.

“Thomas has been a very close partner to Pierre in Europe over the last several years and is uniquely qualified to ensure a solid transition in the region,” the announcement reads.

Greg Healy will remain global president and president of Asia Pacific.

“Collectively, these three accomplished veterans have worked side-by-side for the last several years to drive Boardriders’ successful turnaround and now, with the rest of the leadership team, will take Boardriders into the next phase of its evolution into the world’s leading action sports company,” the statement says.

Quiksilver was born in Australia but really caught its wave of popularity after Bob McKnight and Jeff Hakman bought the license to sell in the U.S., building the brand out of a Newport Beach home. By the 1980s, they were the hottest brand around and the largest in the growing surf industry.

By 1986, just as the company was about to hit $20 million, the brand went public. Major department stores and discount retailers were stocking their shelves with the surfwear. By the late ’80s, it was the world’s largest surf brand, with sales of about $100 million worldwide.

In the early 2000s, Quiksilver was posting annual revenue north of $2 billion, selling 100 million garments a year through its three brands, Quiksilver, Roxy and DC. But in the past decade, challenges arose with Internet sales and discount retailers competing in the same markets.

Agnes had been CEO of Quiksilver and Boardriders since 2015, and worked out of the company’s headquarters in France. He joined the company as a teen, fresh off a win for the national surf championships in France, and worked his way up the ranks to CEO.

The Billabong acquisition remains subject to a number of customary closing conditions, including shareholder, court and regulatory approvals. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2018, according to the announcement.

The sale will mean a combined 7,000 wholesale customers in more than 110 countries, as well as 630 retail stores in 28 countries.