Fjällräven welcomed vice president of sales Matthew Hershey to the North American team.
Hershey will oversee all sales operations in North America, and joins Fjällräven in its Louisville, CO, headquarters. Hershey will also manage Fjällräven’s newly restructured sales team that includes Lara Silven, who is promoted to key accounts manager, and the addition of Christian Brown as sales manager for Canada.
“The caliber of talent joining our sales team with Matthew, Christian and Lara is invaluable as we drive for continued growth,” said Nathan Dopp, president of Fjällräven of the Americas. “Matthew’s deep sales management experience will be instrumental for us as he leads the charge of developing and implementing strategic sales plans, providing excellent support for our wholesale retail partners and elevating our brand.”
Hershey joins Fjällräven with over a decade of sales experience in the apparel and consumer electronics verticals. He began his career as the sales and marketing director at 66°North USA, founding the North American subsidiary office for the Icelandic outerwear brand. Hershey also served for three years as sales manager at Timberland, where he successfully managed the relaunch of the men’s wholesale apparel line in North America. Most recently, Hershey served as director of sales for TomTom, where he played a significant role in growing the brand’s wholesale distribution and sales.
“Having worked in sales management for active lifestyle brands for almost two decades, I know the level of service and communication Fjällräven’s retail partners want and expect,” said Hershey. “Fjällräven boasts a rich history rooted in the outdoors, a beautiful product line and a brand mission that is focused on sustainability. I am eager to nurture our current partnerships and unlock new opportunities for our brand.”
Hershey’s addition comes as Fjällräven bolsters its internal sales team with the promotion of Lara Silven. Silven began her five-year tenure with Fjällräven North America as a sales representative at the Fjällräven flagship store in Boulder, CO. Silven then moved to a customer service manager position at the Lousiville, CO, headquarters, where she streamlined wholesale operations for electronic data interchange accounts. Lara’s roles in the retail and wholesale areas of Fjällräven’s business coupled with her lifelong passion for the outdoors position her toprepare bespoke strategic plans for key retail partners. Silven’s experience will allow her to maximize opportunities for wholesale growth through her broad knowledge of sales, marketing and pricing activities.
The restructuring of the sales team at Fjällräven North America coincides with the brand’s growing presence in Canada. Fjällräven will open an office and establish a third-party logistics warehouse in Montreal in July of 2018. Christian Brown joins the team as the sales manager for Canada, managing the new office and its operations. He will also oversee all sales representative agency relationships for Fjällräven across Canada. Christian served as the senior apparel buyer at FGL Sports Inc. in Montreal for nine years. Brown’s extensive understanding of market trends in Canada will allow him to identify new business opportunities for the brand.
