The Eastern Company announced that its Board of Directors has named Mark Hernandez, currently a member of the Board of Directors, the Company's next Chief Executive Officer, effective January 23, 2023. Mr. Hernandez will succeed August (Gus) Vlak, who has served as CEO since 2016. Mr. Hernandez has led Navistar's global manufacturing, supply chain, and logistics since 2018, most recently as Executive Vice President.

Prior to Navistar, Mr. Hernandez was an Experienced Practice Expert (Manufacturing and Commercial Vehicles) at McKinsey & Company, focusing on business transformation. From 1994 to 2016, Mr. Hernandez held several roles at Daimler AG and Daimler Trucks North America, where he was a member of Leadership 2020 G16, reporting to the Daimler Board of Management. He graduated cum laude from the United States Naval Academy.