Balance announced that Jim Tompkins, president and COO at New Balance, will depart the company
in early June. Tompkins, who joined New Balance in 1984, assumed his current
position in 1999.
Amy Vreeland, spokesperson for New Balance, said the company is currently developing transition plans.
“My time with New
Balance has been a great experience,” says Jim Tompkins. “I have
had a lot of fun and am proud of the tremendous progress we have made over the
last 25 years. We have grown the company 16 times since I started and
developed a brand that is consistently ranked highly in consumer loyalty on a
national scale. I have also made many good friends both in the company and the
industry. I am taking the opportunity to leave knowing New Balance is in
good hands to find a new challenge where my experience can be utilized to help
another young business grow.”
“I wish to take this opportunity to thank Jim for his many contributions
to New Balance,” says Rob DeMartini, CEO for New Balance. “Over
the years, Jim has served New Balance well in a variety of roles, including
Product manager, European Managing Director, Vice President R&D and
President and COO. He has been instrumental in building the business and the
New Balance brand to what it is today. We thank him for his leadership and wish
him much success in the future.”
After joining the company
as product manager, Tompkins in 1985 moved to the
Kingdom
Europe and then returned to the
in 1988 to assume the position of vice president, R&D. Prior to becoming president
and COO, Tompkins held the position of executive vice president global operations.
Prior to joining NB, Tompkins worked for Le Coq Sportif, where he started in
Customer Service and worked his way up to plant manager and then marketing director.
