Kontoor Brands, Inc. has tapped C.J. King to join the company as general manager, Helly Hansen, North America, Sport, effective August 31.
King will assume responsibility for leading all aspects of Helly Hansen’s North America Sport business, including commercial strategy and marketplace execution. As a member of the Helly Hansen leadership team, he will report to Børre Hegbom, SVP, global head of Helly Hansen.
“We are thrilled to welcome C.J. King to Helly Hansen,” said Hegbom. “C.J. brings a proven ability to lead high-performing commercial organizations, build deep connections with technical outdoor consumers and translate premium brand strength into sustainable growth. His experience will be instrumental as we strengthen Helly Hansen’s position in the U.S., the world’s largest outdoor market. We are excited to partner with him as we unlock the next chapter of growth for Helly Hansen.”
King joins Helly Hansen from Arc’teryx, a global design company recognized for technical high-performance apparel and equipment. In the past ten years at Arc’teryx, King has served as VP North American Wholesale, VP/GM North America and VP Global Commercial. In those roles, he reportedly led the brand’s wholesale and retail channels in North America and helped advance the brand’s global commercial and omni-channel strategy, supporting its continued evolution into a balanced, consumer-led marketplace model.
“Throughout his career, King has built a strong track record of translating product, merchandising and marketplace strategy into business results through progressively senior roles at outdoor and sport performance brands, including Smartwool, Pearl Izumi, and The North Face,” Kontoor said in a media release announcing the hire.
Prior to his nearly 10-year career at Arc’teryx, King spent over a year at SPRI Fitness after nine years at Smartwool, six years at Peral, a cup of coffee at Nike, and a couple of years at TNF dating back to 1998.
Images courtesy Arc’teryx and C.J. King/LinkedIn
