Mizuno USA appointed Indra Gunasekara as its creative director of global performance running footwear.
Working in close partnership with Todd Lewis, VP of running footwear and design – running, Gunasekara (pictured below) will lead performance running footwear design globally, providing support to global footwear teams in Japan and the U.S. Gunasekara, who will be based in Portland, OR at the Mizuno Performance Running Center of Excellence, will also be a key contributor in cultivating world class talent amongst the Mizuno team of designers.
“Indra brings with him a strong design philosophy, which will complement our design team,” said Lewis. “His work shadows our philosophy of experience-based design where form follows function and introduces technologies, colors and biomechanics that meet the needs and desires of the runner. Indra will play a critical role in helping us unlock Mizuno’s potential, contributing to our overall evolution as a brand and the ever-evolving needs of runners.”
Gunasekara joins Mizuno with more than 20 years of experience around design and footwear innovation, which has established his reputation as one of the industry’s top designers and earned him coveted industry awards over the years. Gunasekara’s career has encompassed many roles in the design arena, including focused research and development of materials, colors and trends at top running brands. Most recently, Gunasekara led priority performance footwear initiatives at Brooks Sports, Pure Project and Project Transcend as Brooks Senior Designer – Level 2.
“Indra’s level of accomplishment and combination of world class design, biomechanics knowledge and story-telling capability will unlock new possibilities for Mizuno,” Lewis said. “Indra is also connected to run specialty. He is an incredible listener who is able to capitalize on the insights and feedback shared by to push the limits of performance even further.”
Gunesekara will also be a key contributor in cultivating world class talent in the team of Mizuno designers.
“Mizuno is a brand I’ve respected for many years. It is a true running brand focused on the runner and their needs to achieve success,” said Gunasekara. “The opportunities are at my fingertips, and there are many concepts I’m excited to dig into, but during my first few months I will keep an open mind and focus on really getting to know the Mizuno brand and culture to make sure we are starting off on the right foot.”
Mizuno USA Inc. is based in greater Atlanta, GA.
Photos courtesy Mizuno
