Columbia Sportswear Company has appointed Brad Gebhard as Vice President of Footwear. In his new role, Gebhard will be responsible for the global strategic vision for the Company's Footwear Division and will provide direction for the footwear design and merchandise functions. He joins the company in October and will report to Bob Masin, Senior Vice President of Sales and Merchandising.
Throughout his career, Gebhard has held key positions all relating to the footwear and apparel industry. Most recently, he was Director of Outdoor for adidas-Salomon AG. Prior highlights include his role as Head of Global Footwear and Head of Global Footwear Operations for Salomon in Annecy, France and project management and development for both adidas and Nike, Inc. He is a graduate of The University of Oregon, a resident of Portland, and an avid cyclist. He also enjoys scuba diving and travel with his family.
“We are extremely pleased to announce the appointment of Brad Gebhard to the Columbia team,” said Tim Boyle, President and CEO of Columbia Sportswear. “His ability to manage a large scale footwear business in addition to his global industry experience will be a strong complement to our global footwear growth strategy and to the team that will deliver it.”
In other news, Columbia announced the appointment of Mark Koppes as General Merchandise Manager Men's Apparel. This newly created position is part of a corporate apparel initiative that has expanded the segment to be gender driven instead of product category focused. This shift will strengthen the focus on product development and merchandising as well as maximize merchandising and design resources to provide synergistic opportunities between product categories.
Koppes will play the key role in the general management and global leadership for the men's apparel division that includes developing and executing the brand's global, strategic merchandising plan; managing the men's merchandising strategy from prototype concepts through delivery of final product lines; and managing product interactions with key retail channels. He joins the company in August and will report to Mark Sandquist, Vice President Apparel and Equipment.
Koppes joins Columbia after a long career at Nike, Inc. During his 16-year tenure, he held positions including Product Line Manager, Apparel Merchandise Manager, Marketing Director, Apparel Business Director, Global Merchandise Director and Men's Apparel General Manager in corporate and international locations.
“I am very pleased with Mark's decision to join us. He brings great industry insight and experience to the Columbia team,” said Tim Boyle, President and CEO of Columbia Sportswear. “His appointment is a good fit with our apparel vision and his proven management leadership, creativity, and strategic thinking are all enhanced by his passion for our industry.”
