Montane, European specialist brand of outdoor apparel and equipment, announced the appointment of Andy Towne, shown above, as Chair of its Board of Directors on March 20, 2020.
The appointment follows the recent investment into Montane by Inverleith LLP, the Scottish based consumer brand investor, which took a majority stake in the company. Inverleith LLP will oversee the company expand the distribution of its specialist mountain sports products both in the UK and internationally with a focus on product development.
Established in 1993, Montane is focused on the high-performance segment of the outdoor market with its collection of outerwear, backpacks and accessories for men and women sold in the UK and internationally.
Andy Towne is an established and respected industry leader within the outdoor & apparel category. He began his career in advertising at Saatchi & Saatchi before moving into marketing roles with Adidas, Helly Hansen and Reebok. In 2008, Andy became the Managing Director of Musto, the British sailing, equestrian and lifestyle outdoor clothing brand. Following this, he spent five years as Executive Board Member and President of Apparel at Amer Sports with a brand portfolio including Salomon, Wilson, Precor, Atomic, Suunto, Mavic, and Arc’teryx. For the past few years, he has specialized in supporting value creation within a number of apparel and lifestyle brands.
Jake Doxat, Montane’s Managing Director said, ‘I am absolutely delighted that Andy is joining Montane as the Chair of the Board of Directors. He brings a wealth of experience and expertise within the outdoor and wider sports industry and that experience span both the UK and international markets. With this background and his personal passion for Montane, I believe Andy will be a great asset to the brand. As I transition to my Board Director and global ambassador role. I look forward to working alongside Andy as he helps to guide Montane as we continue to drive the success of the brand.’
On his appointment, Towne commented ‘Over two decades, Montane has steadily grown, carefully building its reputation for performance and quality clothing and accessories within fast-paced mountain sports. With involvement from Inverleith LLP as a majority investor, the time is right to introduce Montane’s ‘Further. Faster’ mindset to a wider audience and to continue its growth both in the UK and internationally. I’m looking forward to working closely with the team at Inverleith and with Jake in driving forward the Montane brand’.
Inverleith LLP Managing Partner, Paul Skipworth, said: “I have known Andy for a number of years and we are extremely fortunate to have secured him for the role of Chair of the Board. Andy is an accomplished outdoor and clothing industry veteran and the depth of his experience will add much value to the Montane Board and the company.”
Photo courtesy Montane
