Spyder Active Sports named Jake Jacobs as president and chief operating officer. Mr. Jacobs, previously Spyder’s senior vice president, product, assumes the position of president from David Jacobs, the company’s founder, who will remain chief executive officer. In the new positions, Jake Jacobs will be responsible for overseeing operations, production, development, sales and marketing. The appointments are effective immediately.

“Jake Jacobs has been thoroughly involved in executing Spyder’s business strategy, and has been integral to the company’s success,” said David Jacobs. “He’s a leading expert on fabric technology, and has incredible industry knowledge and experience. His soul is the brand. It just so happens that he’s also my son.”

As CEO, David Jacobs will continue to have principal responsibility for overseeing Spyder’s overall strategy, as the company continues capitalize on the compelling fundamentals of the skiwear and outerwear market and realize the value of its brand. Today, Spyder is the world’s best selling performance ski brand, sold in over 50 countries and staffed by more than 100 full-time employees.

“I am honored to lead Spyder as we build on the company’s historic success,” said Jake Jacobs. “My role is to ensure operations run flawlessly and the brand’s integrity remains strong. We have in place an exceptional management team with a consistent vision of the brand and its potential.”

Paige Daly, a partner of Apax Partners, Spyder’s largest shareholder, and a member of the company’s board of directors, said, “This promotion of Jake Jacobs to these leadership positions is part of a well-executed succession plan. Jake has been transitioning to these roles. During this time, he recruited a new VP of sales and made a series of changes in the senior management team to increase its effectiveness and efficiency. We at Apax Partners are very excited to be partnering with Jake, David and the rest of the Spyder team to continue to realize the potential of this great company and its brand.”

Jake Jacobs has extensive background in all aspects of Spyder’s business, in particular its production process. Prior to returning to Spyder in 1995, he was the development director of NIKE, Inc.’s Asia-Pacific Apparel Organization, where he was based in Hong Kong and Singapore. He holds degrees from the Business School at University of Colorado and the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandizing.

In many respects, there would be no Spyder if it were not for Jake. At the age of 16, Jake brought home a padded ski sweater from a ski race camp in Argentina. That sweater inspired David to develop a ski apparel company. Spyder began in 1978 out of the Jacobs kitchen in Boulder, Colorado.