Black Diamond Inc., a manufacturer of active outdoor performance equipment and apparel, has appointed Trent Bush as Black Diamond Equipment vice president of apparel design and Radhika Ray to the newly created position of vice president of strategy and investor relations for Black Diamond Inc.
As Black Diamond Equipment’s new apparel designer, Trent Bush will lead an apparel team that has been redesigned to more clearly focus on directly speaking to Black Diamond Equipment’s core consumer.
Bush previously worked as vice president of product and design at Mountain Hardwear. He also founded Trent Bush Design + Create, a firm designed to fit the needs of clients in the areas of apparel, industrial and graphic design, and Brandbase, the parent company of the Nomis and Technine brands, which are leaders in the youth lifestyle and snowboard markets.
Other experience includes creative manager for Burton Snowboards softgoods, as well as co-founder of Analog clothing, a leading specialty-focused snowboard and streetwear division of Burton. He has also worked on various projects with brands like Fjallraven, Outdoor Research, Hestra, Oakley, Marmot, Pearl Izumi, Vail Resorts, Nixon, Jackson Hole Resort, The Hundreds, Skullcandy, Nightmare Snowboards, and Nike/Savier footwear.
“Black Diamond Equipment is a long-admired and trusted company with an absolute commitment to design and innovation excellence,” said Bush. “I look forward to applying this same commitment and dedication to a Black Diamond apparel brand that understands the importance of authenticity as it relates to modern design and branding in today’s consumer market.”
Commenting on these appointments, President of Black Diamond Equipment John Walbrecht stated: “These hires are tremendous industry players that bolster our global operations team in key areas of focus. We look forward to their contributions having a positive impact on our strategy to reform Black Diamond Equipment back to its roots, while enhancing our brand equity through innovation in adjacent product categories.”
Holding company Black Diamond Inc. formed the newly created role of VP of strategy and investor relations with the appointment of Radhika Ray. Ray will leverage her background in operations and executive leadership to further streamline Black Diamond Equipment’s operations, help communicate organizational strategies to the investor community, and assist with the holding company’s redeployment and diversification strategy.
Ray joined the Company from New Avon (a Cerberus company) where she served as executive director, sales analytics and strategy. While there, she led a team across sales analytics, operations and strategy, to help transform Avon’s business by driving a culture of execution excellence.
Her affiliation with Cerberus Capital dates to 2012 where she served as an operations executive, leading deal work alongside the investment team and through interim executive roles. Such other notable interim roles include finance, strategy and operations executive for YP Holdings, a leading local marketing solutions provider in the U.S. Among other senior operations and analytical roles, Ray served as a consultant for McKinsey & Company. Ray received her MBA from Harvard Business School and her BA with honors from Western University’s Ivey School of Business.
Photo courtesy Black Diamond
