Orvis welcomed former Backcountry and Athleta executives, Jill Layfield and Sheila Shekar Pollak to its board of directors, effective immediately. This announcement comes following Orvis’ recent appointment of Reenie Benziger as chief product officer and Simon Perkins as president.
“We are thrilled to welcome Jill and Sheila to our board and are excited to leverage their combined perspectives and deep knowledge and expertise in developing our digital and omnichannel brand strategies,” said Orvis President, Simon Perkins. “We have made exciting additions to the Orvis team in the last nine months. Adding Jill and Sheila to the Orvis “family” as board members is another demonstration of our commitment to reinventing the digital experience our customers seek in today’s world. Our entire team is committed to an omnichannel approach and providing meaningful moments with consumers wherever they interact with our brand.”
Jill Layfield joins the Orvis Board as an accomplished executive in the digital space and is currently the Co-founder and CEO of Tamara Mellon, a digitally-led women’s luxury brand. Prior to Tamara Mellon, she served as president and CEO of Backcountry.com. During her 11 years with the brand, Layfield facilitated several private brand launches, e-commerce brand acquisitions and saw the brand grow from $30M to $500M.
“Orvis is at a very intriguing and unique moment considering its current momentum and the opportunity ahead. Orvis possesses that elusive mix of innovative products, a fervent fanbase and an appetite for reinvention. I am looking forward to working with the board and management team to go after the exciting opportunities that await the brand,” said Layfield.
Sheila Shekar Pollak is currently the senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Biossance. Pollak spent 16 years at Gap Inc. and, most recently, served as chief marketing officer at Athleta, where she played a key role in building the brand’s evolution from a catalog-driven marketing model to an omnichannel and digital experience.
“For years, Orvis has shown a remarkable ability to build meaningful connections with consumers. A lot of brands yearn for the deep relationships Orvis shares with its customers. I am looking forward to working with leadership to identify new ways to build upon and deepen these relationships particularly as we continue to expand Orvis’ digital marketing capabilities and grow the Orvis community in the future,” said Shekar Pollak.
Photos courtesy Orvis, Jill Layfield, Shekar Pollak
