Saucony, Inc., a subsidiary of The Stride Rite Corporation, has launched a new Advanced Product and Processes Group and has promoted Tom Carleo to senior vice president of product and Merrick Jones to the newly created position of vice president of advanced product and processes. Both promotions are effective immediately.

Prior to his new position, Carleo served as Saucony’s vice president of marketing, overseeing both product and marketing functions. In his new role, Carleo will focus exclusively on all aspects of product, underlining the brand’s strategic realignment to further advance product and technical innovation. Reporting to Michael Metcalfe, Saucony’s general manager, Carleo will oversee design, development and the newly created Advanced Product and Processes Group.

Under Carleo’s watch, Saucony earned three Runner’s World Editor’s Choice Awards within a nine month period, most recently for the Grid Hurricane 8, the brand’s flagship model. “Tom brings a deep understanding of what runners want and need,” said Metcalfe. “This promotion will allow him to focus his leadership on Saucony’s inline product and advanced concepts, accommodating our near and long-term growth strategies,” added Metcalfe. Carleo will lead a product team that includes industry veterans Aaron Azevedo, vice president of development and Patrick O’Malley, vice president of product.

Merrick Jones joins Saucony as vice president of advanced product and processes with
an already in-depth knowledge of emerging performance technologies, having spent nearly a decade with Reebok’s Advanced Concepts Group. Jones also spent four years with Puma AG as director of the brand’s American sports divisions. Under his leadership, the Puma product team garnered the brand’s first Runner’s World Editor’s Choice Award. Jones, an accomplished runner, is a former sub-four-minute miler.

“This is exciting for Saucony running, as we will take some big steps in the upcoming seasons,” said Carleo. “With Merrick on board, we’re now in a position to take a great running brand and make it better. We want to consistently bring runners the most innovative and excellent running shoes in the industry,” he said.

“Reshaping the brand’s strategic product team underscores our commitment to invest in the ongoing growth of the Saucony brand in the technical running segment,” said Metcalfe. “In order to bring the same precise focus to the marketing area, we’ve recently opened a search for a vice president of marketing,” added Metcalfe.