Clarus Corp. announced Monday it has created a performance sports division to accelerate the development of sport-enhancing products like skincare, supplements, nutrition and other personal health products for performance-driven athletes.
To lead the new division, Clarus appointed consumer brand and marketing industry executive Taylor West as general manager, effective September 30, 2019.
“This newly created Performance Sports division is a strategic focus we made clear with the acquisition of SKINourishment, and the hiring of Taylor reinforces our intentions to compete in skincare and other personal health-related categories,” said John Walbrecht, president of Clarus. “Under this new division, we will seek to develop other skincare products, such as sunscreen, as well as sport-enhancing supplements, nutrition, and other products using natural, organic or alternative ingredients. We believe Clarus is uniquely capable to do so given our global brand ambassador team and distribution footprint, our commitment to innovation and a strong focus on sales and marketing.”
West brings to Clarus over a decade of consumer brand and product marketing experience in various management roles. Most recently, he served as VP of marketing and e-commerce for KT Tape, which provides kinesiology tape and recovery products for pain management and injury-related treatments. While there, he led several strategic pivots across the company’s digital media channels, resulting in significant sales growth from the company’s e-commerce site and Amazon presence.
Prior to KT Tape, West was VP of marketing for Kodiak Cakes, a premium brand of breakfast foods that contain high-quality ingredients. While there, he oversaw the company’s marketing strategy across all channels, along with leading product development. He also previously served in several senior marketing roles for various brands at General Mills.
“Bringing on an experienced brand marketer like Taylor to lead our performance sports business is an important step forward for Clarus,” said John Walbrecht, president of Clarus. “As we look to expand our presence in the skincare market and evaluate growth avenues in related products, his expertise in leading digital marketing campaigns and e-commerce strategies for other strong brands will be an invaluable asset to our team. We remain committed to innovation and delivering customers high-quality, purpose-driven products, and we believe Taylor’s proven background in growing brands directly aligns with our vision for this business going forward.”
West holds an MBA with an emphasis in marketing from Duke University and a BA in economics from Harvard University.
Commenting on his appointment, West stated: “Clarus has built a reputable portfolio focused on ‘Super-Fan Brands’ that clearly resonates with consumers as evident by the significant growth it has experienced over the past several years. The skincare and sport supplement markets are high-growth categories with increasing demand for natural, high-quality products that improve performance. I believe Clarus is well positioned to make significant in-roads in these markets and I look forward to playing a leading role.”
