Richard Collier resigned as CEO of Jack Wolfskin and will leave the company at the end of the year. Collier took the CEO role in December 2020 after coming over from the Helly Hansen Group where he was chief product officer.
“On the one hand, it will be really tough to leave the Pack as we have made so much progress in the last 3 years and we have pulled together such a fantastic team across the globe, Collier said in a statement on LinkedIn. “On the other hand, for me and my family, it’s totally the right thing to do. I will be taking on a new role in 2024 in Oslo, Norway which will be a 30-minute bike commute from my home rather than my current weekly commute to Germany.”
Collier said that as part of the annual HR process at Topgolf Callaway Brands, which acquired Jack Wolfskin in early 2019, the company takes succession planning seriously, and, with that process established, they have been able to find his successor internally within Jack Wolfskin.
Matthew Jung, GM of China, will take over the CEO role globally in January 2024.
“I couldn’t hope for a better successor than MJ, and I know he is going to continue and accelerate the journey we have begun with the team here, Collier shared.
“Still 3 months to go of this year and my journey with Jack Wolfskin and its full steam ahead—FW24 sales meeting, FW25 planning, ISPO, and transitioning the business over to MJ still to do, before a month of skiing in the Norwegian mountains in January,” Collier concluded in his post. “A big thanks to Joe Flannery for his brilliant support during this process.”
In other Jack Wolfskin people news, Natascha el Mahmoud, general manager of Commercial Europe, informed the company that she is leaving at the end of February 2024. After 22 years, she decided to take time out to pursue her passion for travel.
“I very much regret her decision, as with Natascha we are leaving a leader who has dedicated herself to the brand, our teams and the company with a great deal of passion and expertise over the years,” said Collier when el Mahmoud announced her intention in July. “Even in a challenging market environment, Natascha and her team have ensured through a clear strategy and focus on our customers that the wholesale sector continues to grow, Jack Wolfskin has invested in international expansion and has developed into a global player. On behalf of the management and also personally, I would like to thank Natascha for her passion and commitment to our company and wish her all the best for the future.”
During her time at Jack Wolfskin, the company said el Mahmoud had accompanied the brand through many phases and successfully built the core market DACH (German-speaking countries) with her team to become the region with the highest sales.
“In her role as VP of sales in 2020, she took over responsibility for the WHS business throughout Europe and was also in charge of sales operations. In this position, she contributed significantly to the strategic realignment and positioning of the brand and led it out of the pandemic in a stronger position. With her appointment as GM Commercial Europe in 2021, she was responsible for the implementation and expansion of the omni-channel strategy in Europe,” the company said in a release.
Photos courtesy Jack Wolfskin
