Helly Hansen promoted Brent Turner to vice president of sales for the U.S. market. Brent joined Helly Hansen as the key account manager in the company’s Seattle office in November 2008.
The company said Turner has more than 22 years of experience in the winter sports and outdoor industry. Prior to Helly Hansen, Turner served as CEO of Northwave North America for three years and previously was the Global VP and General Manager for K2 Snowboarding. Turner was the first employee of the K2 snowboard program and under his leadership over a 15-year period it became one of the world’s most celebrated snowboard brands.
Turner is a former member of the U.S. Olympic kayak team and holds a master’s in business administration from the University of Washington.
“Helly Hansen is making impressive strides on a global scale,” he said. “The well-known performance apparel is unparalleled this season and the sportswear and footwear collections have dramatically broadened to appeal to a range of specialty sporting goods and lifestyle retailers. We offer an exceptional value proposition to consumers which has contributed to Helly Hansen’s strong performance, despite a challenging economic climate. I’m very excited with the opportunities ahead, both for the company and our valued retailer partners. “
The Turner promotion was announced in conjunction with the global release of Norway-based Helly Hansen Group’s 2008 financials that demonstrate the company’s strong international growth. The winter sports, water sports and outdoor product manufacturer delivered an EBITDA of NOK 151 million ($24.4 million) in 2008, compared to NOK 118 million ($19 million) in 2007, and NOK 43 million (U.S. $6.9 million) in 2006.
The Moss, Norway-based company recently signed long-term contracts in Asia and Oceania as a part of a new global distribution strategy that guarantees more than US$65 million in profit over the course of the contract.
“Helly Hansen has a great international brand position and its growth potential is stellar,” said Peter Sjölander, CEO of Helly Hansen. “The fact that we succeeded in signing new international contracts in times of economic crisis is strong evidence of our brand’s strength. We continue to define our role as one of Norway’s few global brands.”
