According to The Oregonian, Kirk Richardson, the president of Keen from 2006 to 2008, has returned the Portland-based company in the role of “strategic planning for footwear.” He told the newspaper he wasn't a candidate to replace former president James Curleigh.
Curleigh, who joined Levi Straus as EVP and president of the Levi's brand in late May, succeeded Richardson at Keen.
Richardson told The Oregonian that he started on started on Sept. 1 after a brief stint as general manager for the U.S. for Specialized Bicycle. He had joined Specialized Bicycle in January.
The report noted that since Curleigh's exit, Keen has lost its advertising agency, its VP of marketing, its VP of design and development, and CFO. But Richardson assured The Oregonian that the departures were not surprising given the brand's growth. “It's evolving in the way you'd expect it to,” he said, adding that his month at the company shows it to be “pretty darn stable.”
