Vice President, Product | Keen Footwear
Age 36 | 13 Years in the Industry
Nikolai has lived most of his life in Denmark. After three years in college, he spent a year in the military, which lead him to his 16-year shoe career. At a reasonably young age, he embraced change — both professionally and in his private life — which has given him a fantastic variety of life experiences. Being able to understand and lead teams in many cultures has given Nikolai confidence and results. Nikolai lives in Portland, OR with his wife and three children.
EDUCATION & DEGREE(S) ACHIEVED: Business College in Ribe, Denmark and a year in Surabaya, Indonesia learning the footwear manufacturing process from the ground up.
I COULDN’T DO MY JOB WITHOUT: A fantastic team. Their only focus is quality in everything they do – constantly striving to create innovative collections and next level quality for Keen’s global fans.
MOST IMPORTANT THING I HAVE LEARNED: I started my career on the factory floor making shoes. This is and always will be my strongest foundation that I base the majority of my decisions on for building the Keen brand.
BEST ADVICE I WAS GIVEN OR THAT I WOULD GIVE: Fully understand your brand, fans, product, service and function to drive innovation and perfection while guiding others on the same path.
BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT TO DATE: When I see my team drive new ideas; which directly impact our fans and creating space and opportunity to succeed within our brand.
WHAT DO YOU WOULD WANT YOUR LEGACY TO BE: A leader who created world class teams with next-generation ideas and solutions.
BIGGEST LIFE LESSON: Lead by character and integrity.
DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN TWO WORDS: Passionate and Driven
