Columbia Sportswear Company hired Christian Finell as General Manager Europe. His anticipated start date is December 1, 2007, reporting to Mick McCormick, Vice President of Sales. Finell will be responsible for managing all aspects of sales, marketing and operations of the company in Europe. He joins Columbia following a seventeen year career with Salomon SA, most recently serving as Head of Salomon EMEA (Europe, Middle-East, and Africa). Finell also held other leadership positions at Salomon, including Retail Manager Europe and Head of Salomon Nordic AB. He is a native of Finland and is multi-lingual. Finell will be based in Columbia's European headquarters located in Geneva, Switzerland.

“We are pleased to welcome Christian Finell to Columbia Sportswear. Finell's strategic European management skills will play an important role in executing our global go-to-market initiatives and strengthening our position in the European outdoor market,'' said Tim Boyle, President and CEO.