The 2020 Year In Review: Executive Shuffle

Ed Stack’s plans to step down after a 37-year run as CEO of Dick’s Sporting Goods headlined the major C-suite moves that transformed leadership across the active lifestyle industry in 2020.

Stack built DKS from two stores that he and his siblings bought from their father into an 850-store chain that went public in 2002. On February 1, 2021, Stack will assume the role of executive chairman and continue as chief merchant. He will also oversee key strategic growth initiatives for the company. Lauren Hobart succeeds Stack, having joined the company in 2011 as CMO and ascended to president and board member in 2017, spearheading its marketing and e-commerce strategies.

Below are other notable executive changes for 2020.

»Adidas appointed Vicky Free as senior vice president, Global Marketing, Adidas, effective January 4, 2021. (Read more)

»Arc’teryx Equipment named Katie Becker as its first vice president, Creative. Becker joined Arc’teryx after a 12-plus year career with Adidas, where she served as senior global design director. (Read more)

»Asics appointed Richard Sullivan as president and chief operating officer for Asics North America. Barbara Turner assumed the role of chief administrative officer and Sean Condon was named vice president, Omnichannel. (Read more)

»Asolo will transition the position of General Manager from Bruce Franks, who established a road map for Asolo’s next steps in the U.S., to Bill Lockwood. (Read more)

»Baden Sports appointed Jake Licht as president and CEO, and Casey Schindler as executive vice president and chief operating officer following the passing of CEO Michael J. Schindler. (Read more)

»Benchmade Knives announced that its current president, Jon deAsis, assumed the role as president and CEO, replacing Roberta deAsis who filled the role after the sudden passing of her husband and founder, Les deAsis. (Read more)

»Boathouse Sports appointed Cindy DiPietrantonio president and chief executive officer. (Read more)

»Burton announced that John Lacy was appointed CEO, a role he had shared with Burton’s Owner Donna Carpenter, who assumed the role as Chair of the Burton Board of Directors, a position formerly held by her late husband and Burton founder, Jake Burton Carpenter. (Read more)

»Caleres appointed Jay Schmidt as president as part of changes to its leadership structure to better align with its strategic direction and growth initiatives. (Read more)

»Canada Goose appointed Carrie Baker as president, North America and Kara MacKillop as chief of staff and executive vice president people and culture. (Read more)

»Canadian Tire Corporation Ltd., the parent of SportChek and Helly Hansen, appointed Greg Hicks as president and chief executive officer. (Read more)

»Clif Bar & Company announced that Sally Grimes had been appointed CEO replacing Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford, Clif Bar founder, owners and co-CEOs, who will remain on the company’s Board of Directors. (Read more)

»Columbia Sportswear appointed President and CEO Tim Boyle as chairman of the board. (Read more)

»Crocs announced that Michelle Poole had been appointed president. (Read more)

»Designer Brands named William L. Jordan as chief growth officer. (Read more)

»Dick’s Sporting Goods appointed Todd Spaletto as president of its new Public Lands retail division serving the outdoor specialty market. (Read more)

»Emerald Holding announced that the company’s Board of Directors appointed Hervé Sedky to president and CEO. (Read more)

»Escalade appointment of Scott Sincerbeaux as its president and CEO. (Read more)

»Famous Footwear, part of the Caleres family of brands, named Michael Edwards president. Edwards joined Caleres in 2008, most recently serving as senior vice president, digital commerce, planning, allocation, and stores. (Read more)

»Fanatics promoted Gina Sprenger to the company’s first chief strategic retail officer. (Read more)

»Gap Inc. announced that its board of directors had named Sonia Syngal, who was CEO of Old Navy since 2016, as the company’s CEO. (Read more)

»Leslie’s Poolmart appointed Michael Egeck as CEO. Egeck most recently served as the CEO of PSEB Group, the parent of Pacific Sunwear and Eddie Bauer. (Read more)

»JCPenney, which emerged from bankruptcy proceedings on December 7 under new ownership, on December 30 launched a search for a CEO to replace Jill Soltau, who exited the company. (Read more)

»Kathmandu Holdings, the New Zealand-based owner of Kathmandu, Rip Curl and Oboz, announced the planned resignation of Group CEO Xavier Simonet. (Read more)

»Lululemon Athletica appointed Nikki Neuburger as its chief brand officer. Neuburger was most recently global head of marketing for Uber Eats and previously global vice president of Nike Running. (Read more)

»Franklin Retail Solutions hired Cathy Pryor as president. Pryor had been an executive officer and vice president of store operations at Hibbett Sports. (Read more)

»Gazelle Sports appointed Jennifer Brummitt as the company’s first CEO. (Read more)

»H&M announced that Karl-Johan Persson had stepped down as chief executive officer to assume the role as chairman, after his father relinquished the role. Chief Operating Officer, Helena Helmersson, was appointed chief executive officer. (Read more)

»HanesBrands appointed Stephen B. Bratspies as CEO and board member. Most recently, he served as CMO at Walmart. Bratspies succeeded Gerald Evans Jr., who previously announced his plans to retire after a 37-year career at HanesBrands. (Read more)

»Icebreaker appointed Cameron Walker as general manager and vice president, Icebreaker North America, Rachel Winkel as director of North American marketing and Sam Minassian as head of e-commerce and digital marketplaces. (Read more)

»The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) announced that its Board of Directors had appointed Brent Darden as interim president and CEO. The IHRSA Board of Directors announced the departure of its president and chief executive officer, Joe Moore on August 18. (Read more)

»Jack Wolfskin, a subsidiary of Callaway Golf, appointed Richard Collier as chief executive officer. Collier was most recently chief product officer at Helly Hansen. (Read more)

»Keds, a division of Wolverine World Wide, appointed Bornie Del Priore as president. She was global brand president of the WWW Kids Group, a role she will continue while also serving as global brand president of Keds. (Read more)

»Kjus, owned by Acushnet Holdings Corp., named Brooke Mackenzie as president of its worldwide operations. (Read more)

»Marquee Brands appointed Neil Fiske as its first chief executive officer. Fiske was most recently CEO of the Gap brand and formerly led Billabong and Eddie Bauer. (Read more)

»Nike promoted Felicia Mayo, to head a newly formed team as chief talent, diversity and culture officer, replacing Kellie Leonard, who left to pursue other interests. (Read more)

»Nixon, the California-based watch and accessory brand, promoted Nancy Dynan to the role of president. (Read More)

»The North Face, owned by VF Corp., appointed Steve Murray as global brand president. Previously VF’s president of the Americas Region, Murray replaces Arne Arens, who stepped down to pursue other opportunities. (Read more)

»National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) added the title and duties of chief executive officer to Joseph Bartozzi’s responsibilities as its president. (Read more)

»Olin Corp., the parent of  Winchester, announced that its Board of Directors selected Scott M. Sutton to succeed John E. Fischer as president and CEO. Fischer became its executive chairman. (Read more)

»Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) announced Lise Aangeenbrug as its executive director replacing Amy Roberts, who left OIA to join The North Face.

»Outdoor Research announced its new leadership structure with industry veteran Roger Barton taking the helm of the company. (Read more)

»Orvis appointed Simon Perkins as president. Perkins is the third generation of the Perkins family to lead Orvis since 1965. (Read more)

»Patagonia hired Ryan Gellert as CEO of Patagonia Works, the umbrella company for all its ventures. The announcement came a little over three months after Rose Marcario stepped down from the top spot after 12 years with the company. (Read more)

»Pentland Brands appointed Chirag Patel as its chief executive officer having previously served as deputy CEO. (Read more)

»PVH Corp., the parent company to Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, announced that Stefan Larsson, president, will be named CEO, effective February 1, 2021. Larsson succeeds Manny Chirico, the company’s CEO since 2006. Chirico will continue in his role as chairman. (Read more)

»Puma appointed Maria Valdes as general manager, business unit Sportstyle, the company’s largest business unit by revenue. (Read more)

»After 16 years of leading Rossignol Group, Bruno Cercley will hand over the CEO role to Vincent Wauters during the first quarter of 2021. Cercley will remain in a non-executive role as president and member of the Board. (Read more)

»RYU Apparel announced that Marcello Leone had resigned from his position as chief executive officer and president. Cesare Fazari was appointed chief executive officer. (Read more)

»Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) appointed Bill Patterson as its chief business officer. Patterson formerly worked for OpSec Security. (Read more)

»Slinger Bag appointed Tom Dye as its chief operating officer. Dye had previously worked for Prince Global Sports, Wilson Sporting Goods and HazTek. (Read more)

»Speedo North America announced that Jim Gerson returned as president. (Read more)

»Stanley, a subsidiary of PMI Worldwide, appointed Terence Reilly as global president. (Read more)

»Tommy Hilfiger appointed Avery Baker as president and chief brand officer. (Read more)

»Toms Shoes appointed Magnus Wedhammar, former general manager of Sanuk, as its chief executive officer. (Read more)

»Under Armour appointed Colin Browne as its chief operating officer and Paul Fipps as its chief experience officer, a newly created position. (Read more)

»Unifi announced that its Board of Directors had appointed Eddie Ingle as its chief executive officer. (Read more)

»Wolverine World Wide announced the appointment of Brendan Hoffman as its next president. Hoffman is expected to transition over time to become the chief executive officer of the company. (Read more). 

»Velocity Outdoor Inc. announced that Kelly Grindle had been appointed president and co-chief executive officer. (Read more)

»VF Corp. appointed Winnie Ma to the newly created position of president, Greater China. Ma joined VF following a 10-year career at Unilever, North Asia, where she most recently led its Beauty & Personal Care category business. (Read more)

»Wilson Sporting Goods appointed Joe Dudy as its president. Dudy, a 25-year veteran of Wilson, previously served as vice president, finance. (Read more)

Illustration courtesy Variety