Mavic, Inc. has hired cycling industry pioneer Hugh Walton as general manager. Walton brings more than 25 years of hardgoods and softgoods experience to his new position at Mavic, including knowledge gained while in leadership positions at Pearl Izumi, Hind and Descente Athletic.
“We were thrilled when Hugh said he was coming on board,” said National Sales Manager Larry Burke. “He’s got such a great track record and he’s joining us at a time when we’re expecting strong growth in all our categories.”
Walton fills a position at Mavic, Inc. that’s been vacant since October 2011, when former general manager Mark Leydecker departed to pursue a position at Performance Bicycle. Since then, leaders at Mavic SAS in Annecy, France and at Mavic, Inc. in Massachusetts have quietly searched for the ideal candidate. In the intervening months, company management duties were handled by department heads like Burke and Marketing Director Sean Sullivan, amongst others.
“It’s taken some time to find the right person for this job,” said Sullivan. “But naturally we wanted to get it right the first time. Hugh’s going to be a great fit. He’s got an outstanding background for what we expect to accomplish in the next few years.”
Walton has an illustrious history in the cycling industry. He founded Pearl Izumi in 1987, and since then he has held leadership positions at Hind, Descente Athletic, Veltec Sports, and most recently Move Sport, Inc. Walton has been a fixture in the Boulder, CO cycling community, but he plans to relocate in the near future to Mavic headquarters in Haverhill, MA.
“I’m very excited about this opportunity,” said Walton. “Mavic is such an iconic brand. I’ve been training and racing with Mavic products for as long as I can remember, and now I’m honored to be part of the team that’s taking this company to new heights.”
Walton begins with Mavic, which is owned by Finland-based Amer Sports, April 30th. He will report to Philippe Niedree, head of worldwide sales and based at Mavic headquarters in Annecy, France.
