Who’s in, who’s out, who’s been promoted and hired — FN covers all the industry changes in one place. Know of an executive on the move? Tell us at web@footwearnews.com.
April 6, 2021: Saucony has appointed Fábio Tambosi to its chief marketing officer role, effective immediately. In this position, Tambosi will be tasked with strategic development and execution of the company’s global branding initiatives, and will report to Anne Cavassa, president of Saucony. (Additionally, he will join the brand’s senior leadership team.) Tambosi has more than 18 years of industry experience, and was most recently at Adidas where he was the global head of brand, planning and activation for the sports performance categories. Before Adidas, he had stints at Nike and Nokia.
April 6, 2021: Phil Graves, who has roughly two decades of experience leading sustainability efforts, has secured the chief sustainability officer role at Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s. In the role, Graves will work closely with Johnny Morris, the founder and CEO Bass Pro Shops, to improve upon its sustainability efforts including manufacturing, supply chain and operations. Additionally, he will work with Bass Pro Shops senior director of conservation Bob Ziehmer to expand wildlife conservation and educational programs under the Johnny Morris Conservation Foundation. Graves has held roles at Patagonia, Deloitte and PWC prior to joining Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s.
April 5, 2021: Ralph Lauren Corp. has hired Selfridges’ former digital fashion director, Jack Becht, as its creative director of agency, overseeing the Polo, Luxury, Lauren, Home and RL content studio divisions. According to FN’s sister publication WWD, he has more than a decade of experience in advertising, branded content and editorial. Becht, who reports to chief digital and content officer Alice Delahunt, succeeds SVP and creative director of concept and integration Nathan Copan, who departed the company at the end of March.
April 2, 2021: J.Crew Group is building out its senior leadership team as it embarks on a long-term strategic growth plan after emerging from bankruptcy. The company has named four new executives: Jose Davila as chief people officer; Danielle Schmelkin as chief information officer; Derek Yarbrough as chief marketing officer; and Liz Hershfield as SVP of sustainability. “Jose, Danielle, Derek and Liz are proven leaders in their respective fields, share our core values and bring significant expertise as well as a passion for our brands that will drive our business forward,” CEO Libby Wadle said in a statement. In addition, J.Crew has appointed former Nike exec Frits Dirk van Paasschen, Madison Park Ventures founder Anna Fieler and Slack chief people officer Nadia Rawlinson to its board of directors.
April 1, 2021: Heidi Cooley has been promoted to the post of SVP and chief marketing officer at Crocs. The new CMO joined the shoe brand as VP of global marketing in 2016 and became head of global marketing in 2020. “Under Heidi’s leadership, Crocs has ignited its brand presence around the globe, engaging and exciting more consumers than ever before through our inclusive ‘Come As You Are’ platform,” Crocs brand president Michelle Poole said in a statement. “We’re confident that Heidi is the right marketing leader to drive our mission to make everyone comfortable in their own shoes forward today and in the future.”
April 1, 2021: Columbia Sportswear has announced the retirement of SVP of emerging brands Doug Morse in the summer, following a 27-year career at the company. He began as a temp in the consumer department back in 1994 and subsequently advanced to positions such as GM in Canada, VP/chief business development officer and GM of LAAP distributors. He took on the additional role of managing the emerging brands portfolio and the Asia subsidiaries in 2017 before focusing on emerging brands in 2020. Succeeding Morse is Craig Zanon, who spent more than two decades at Nike, where he most recently served as VP and GM of global basketball. During his time at the Swoosh, he was also VP for U.S. Footwear and GM for the Americas. “Craig brings a wealth of experience that will help us continue the growth trajectory of Sorel, Mountain Hardwear and prAna,” chairman, president and CEO Tim Boyle said in a statement. “He will build on the brand-led, consumer focused strategy that we have been pursuing for the last several years.”
April 1, 2021: Texas-based Twisted X Global Brands has announced two changes to its leadership team. Lee Lemon has been promoted to VP of sales after previously serving as GM. In his new role, Lemon will be responsible for the Twisted X, Twisted X Work, CellSole and Tamarindo collections. CEO Prasad Reddy said in a statement, “What makes Twisted X special is that we prioritize our retailers instead of competing with them, giving them everything they need for success including the best products, education and support. We have full confidence in Lee to continue strengthening these strategic partnerships to further our growth.” Meanwhile, Monte Nelson has joined the firm as VP of Western and will lead sales efforts for all Western product under the Twisted X, Black Star and Wrangler Footwear brands. Nelson most recently was a senior sales executive at Justin Brands Inc.
