Paka, the sustainable clothing brand, hired former Prana executive Brian Thompson as general manager while introducing a new advisory board.
Thompson joins Paka after over four years as VP of product at Prana. Before that, Thompson served as VP of product for Marmot, general manager of exOfficio and director of global sales and marketing at Toad & Co for a combined tenure of over 10 years. Thompson experience is expected to support Paka’s innovation and transparent supply chain practices. Paka, a Certified B Corp, uses fully traceable alpaca wool from wild-roaming alpaca in Peru.
“It is a huge honor for me to join the Paka team and to be part of a brand that takes a holistic approach to its success,” said Thompson. “I have certainly been impressed by the brand’s fast growth but even more impressed by the positive impact it has had on the communities and natural spaces where its products are produced.”
“Brian has the heart and deep passion that Paka is built on,” Kris Cody, founder and CEO of Paka, said. “This, alongside his excellence as a people leader made it an easy choice. We’re eager to engage him.”
Paka also introduced an advisory board to guide the brand through a new era of growth. Russ Hopcus, long-term outdoor industry executive and former president of Prana; Pete LaBore, tenured outdoor executive with Backcountry, Reformation and current CEO at Christy Sports, and the leadership team at Yeti Capital unite to make up the brand’s new board with a shared belief that the business has both the capacity and responsibility to be a driving force for social, environmental, and economic change in the industry.
