Crocs Inc. announced that Bill Gray has been appointed to the company’s board of directors. Gray’s appointment is effective June 5, 2018.
Gray brings more than three decades of brand development, communications and digital strategy expertise to Crocs’ board. Gray has served as a senior advisor to Blackstone’s Private Equity Group since 2010, where he has advised a number of portfolio companies in sales, marketing, brand development, user experience, channel expansion and digital transformation. Gray has been designated by Blackstone, which, under the terms of its 2014 investment in Crocs, has the right to designate two members of the Crocs board of directors.
Gray also serves as co-founder and director of Hulls Highway, Inc., a management consulting firm.
Prior to his role with Blackstone, Gray spent 32 years at The Ogilvy Group, the world’s fifth largest communications firm, where he served as lead strategist for some of the world’s most recognizable brands, including American Express, IBM, Unilever, The Hershey Company and others. He held a succession of expanding leadership roles, including CEO of Ogilvy Group North America from 2005 to 2009. Gray also serves on the board of directors of SeaWorld Entertainment and HealthMarkets, Inc., and is a trustee on the board of the New York Public Library. He earned his B.A. from Harvard University and his MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.
“We are pleased to welcome Bill to the Crocs board of directors,” said Thomas J. Smach, chairman of the Crocs board of directors. “He has an exceptional track record of helping globally recognizable companies adopt a customer-centric mindset, and we’re confident that his fresh insight will benefit the board and drive additional shareholder value.”
“It’s an exciting time to join the Crocs team, as they deliver against an ambitious mission of ‘everyone comfortable in their own shoes,’” Gray said. “I look forward to working with my fellow directors and making an immediate impact as a member of the board.”
Crocs President and CEO Andrew Rees added: “Bill’s expertise and accomplishments in the areas of brand development and digital transformation complement the skill set of a board already very focused on advancing our strategic business goals. We’re thrilled to have him join us.”
