Additionally, Dave Heimburg, VP of global quality at New Era, has been promoted to VP of global supply chain and Jennifer Lawrence, senior director of IT at New Era, to VP of IT. Josh Creasman, VP of global supply chain, departed, also effective April 27.
“The appointments being announced today include a group of leaders at New Era who have clearly proven that they have the experience and skills to operate at the highest level as we look to build on our global market leadership position. With ’47 now fully integrated into our global business, I look forward to strategizing with this new team and finding innovative ways to embrace our heritage and deliver for our partners, employees, customers, and investors,” said Chris Koch, CEO, New Era. “We thank Jim, Steve, and Josh for their contributions to New Era and wish them well in their next chapters.”
New Era said that following the integration of ’47 and continued growth across its core businesses , including achieving $2 billion in annual revenue within the last year , it’s “well-positioned to scale its global brand, accelerate e-commerce, further leverage digital capabilities, and expand its apparel platform with investments to drive product innovation.”
Popko currently leads New Era’s development of new league and team licenses. New Era said said he has been “instrumental in working on the strategic integration with ’47 and in expanding key relationships, including with college athletics, Adidas, and numerous F1 teams.”
Prior to joining New Era, Popko held senior leadership roles across operations, finance, and business development, including serving as CEO of Major League Pickleball, senior vice president at IMG (now WME Group, LLC.), and in executive positions with NFL teams such as the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, and New York Jets.
Gan currently leads New Era’s enterprise technology and digital strategy. New Era said he “has played a key role in the accelerated early-stage growth of New Era’s e-commerce platform and helped facilitate the company’s evolution into a globally recognized brand.”
Under Gan’s leadership, New Era has significantly increased its speed to market across the entire business through the development of a unified product creation platform. As chief operating officer, Gan will lead global operations, including supply chain and information technology, and will help lead the execution of the company’s strategic priorities. Prior to joining New Era, Gan led information technology initiatives at Burberry and spent time at both its New York and London headquarters.
Heimburg has been with New Era for more than 30 years. During this tenure, he has worked across key functions including manufacturing, customer service, and supply chain management. As VP of global supply chain, Heimburg will lead New Era’s global supply chain operations, with responsibility for driving efficiency, optimizing sourcing and distribution, and supporting the company’s continued growth.
Lawrence has been with New Era for nearly a decade. As VP of IT, she is expected to lead New Era’s information technology organization, with responsibility for advancing digital capabilities, strengthening systems infrastructure, and enhancing performance, scalability, and reliability across the business.
Image courtesy New Era
