Kizik added Wendy Yang, who recently stepped down as president of Hoka, to its Board of Directors.

“We are thrilled to welcome Wendy to the Kizik team as we continue to innovate, develop new hands-free technologies and reinvent how shoes are made and worn,” said Kizik CEO Monte Deere. “Wendy’s experience leading well-known, successful footwear brands will be invaluable. She knows what it looks like to build a billion-dollar brand, and her insights already are helping us optimize and execute our plans to do the same.”

Yang has over 20 years of experience in the footwear industry, growing and scaling global brands. After joining Hoka in 2015, she repositioned the brand. She built out market strategies and teams, scaling the company from “$70 million to $1 billion in revenue in her seven years at the helm.” During that time, she also oversaw Teva, which “recaptured the number-one sports sandal position in the U.S.” Yang previously held senior-level positions with New Balance, Timberland and Tommy Hilfiger Footwear. She began her footwear career at Reebok.