Kathmandu, the outdoor brand from New Zealand, on Monday announced the appointment of Bill Chandler to the newly created position of vice president of sales and marketing, Kathmandu North America.
Kathmandu North America will be headquartered in Bozeman, MT, alongside Oboz Footwear, which was recently acquired by Kathmandu. Bill Chandler will report to John Connelly, CEO of Oboz Footwear and president of Kathmandu North America.
“We are extremely pleased and excited to have Bill join our team in Bozeman and we look forward to introducing the Kathmandu brand to the U.S. outdoor specialty market,” Connelly said. “I have known Bill for many years and have great respect for his many accomplishments and contributions to our industry. We share the same values and business philosophy for creating authentic brands, controlling distribution, growing sustainably and focusing on the best possible relationships with our retail customers.”
Most recently, Chandler was the director of North American sales at Osprey, the Colorado-based pack brand. His extensive background encompasses managing seasonal and multichannel sales programs, key accounts, strategic brand and retail-driven marketing campaigns, as well as leadership of internal and independent sales, marketing, product and operational teams.
His prior experience includes director of North American sales for apparel brand Sherpa Adventure Gear, and he was the founder and president of Nomad Inc., an independent sales agency that served the Southeast United States with top outdoor brands.
“Kathmandu is a very exciting new challenge for me,” Chandler said. “And it is also an incredible opportunity to bring the unique story and products of this very successful New Zealand brand to our market.”
Chandler will start his new job on July 19 and Kathmandu North America will debut its line at the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in Denver, CO, from November 8-11, 2018.
