Bergans of Norway hired Bart Meijers and Karl Henrik Felde to fill the newly created positions of international sales director and international marketing manager.
The men will be based at the company’s headquarters in Hokksund, Norway, 60 km southwest of Oslo, where 90-plus employees work in development, research, design and sales.
Established in 1908, Bergans is a well-known and leading brand in its home country and in key European markets. The new hires will drive CEO Leif Holst-Liæker’s strategy to strengthen and expand the brand and its products beyond the company’s traditional markets. Holst-Liæker recently became Bergans’ CEO in December of last year.
Meijers will oversee all international sales, except for the Nordic markets. He will also be responsible for all sales activities of Bergans’ subsidiaries in Germany, serving the important EU markets, as well as North America and Bergans’ joint venture in Russia.
Meijers’ previous position was with Nike in Western Europe as sportswear category sales director, and he held several other roles there as well. He holds a Dutch passport and has extensive experience in retail and sports business. His strong passion for outdoor sports will serve him well in his new positon at Bergans. Meijers will start work at Bergans in October and report directly to Holst-Liæker.
Felde will work closely with the sales team to further develop and build a strong Bergans brand profile in all markets. In addition, he will take charge of in-store brand building including Shop-In-Shop and POS concepts.
Felde will officially join Bergans August 15 and report directly to Global Marketing Director Ronny Hammer.
Felde has experience in the sporting goods industry as head of marketing for Viking Footwear, and previously served as general manager for Berghaus Nordic. He also worked in several sales and marketing functions for Nike and Puma. He is a passionate sportsman and holds a certificate in athletics coaching.
“I am happy and proud that Bart and Karl have decided to join our team,” said Bergans’ Holst- Liæker. “With Bart’s experience, background and personal skills, he will be a great resource in terms of structuring, mobilizing and delivering on our international growth agenda. He will also give us valuable international experience and perspectives and be a bridge between the international markets and central organization.”
He continued, “Karl I know from before as a great marketing and sales leader, with hands-on experience in establishing new brands in new markets. He will support Bart and the international sales teams in developing and implementing our international marketing plans.”
