Robert Cleary, Jr., has been appointed national vice president of sales at Speedo, a division of Authentic Fitness Corp., according to an announcement by Roger Williams, president and COO. Authentic Fitness is a division of Warnaco, Inc.

Cleary will direct Speedo’s national department store sales program, supervising several divisions, including men’s, women’s, accessories and children’s.

“Bob brings a wealth of solid experience that will contribute to our brand positioning and product expansion,” Williams said. “His success in the industry fits effectively with Speedo’s aggressive new marketing program.”

Before joining Authentic Fitness Corp., Cleary was vice president, retail sales at Russell Corporation, where he was responsible for dramatic increases in sales and profits. Cleary held various executive positions at Russell, rising from a sales representative to vice president over a 22-year period. Before that, Cleary held managerial posts at Buster Brown Textiles and was a buyer at Burdine’s department store.

Cleary holds an MBA from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and is a graduate of Executive Development Programs at the University of North Carolina Business School.