OIWC named the female leaders it will honor in each of the Outdoor, Snow, and Bike Industries. The Pioneering Woman Award recognizes a “maven of mentoring, and the First Ascent Award acknowledges an industry newcomer who demonstrates strong leadership potential.




Pioneering Woman Award (Outdoor): Kim Walker
In the fall of 2002 with partner Michael Callas, Walker launched outdoor DIVAS on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, CO. outdoorDIVAS.com was launched in 2005, and in 2006, the second brick and mortar store opened in the Cherry Creek North shopping district of Denver.

 

As a recognized authority on apparel and gear designed for women, Walker is regularly called upon to contribute to the product design processes of notable manufacturers in the outdoor and ski industries. Since opening outdoor DIVAS, Walker has spoken at numerous industry functions including the Outdoor Industry Rendezvous and the Ski Industry Association of America annual summit. She was also recognized in the top 40 under 40 by SBG Magazine, and was recently elected to the Board of Directors for the Outdoor Industry Association. In 2005 and 2006 Kim was employed by Time Warner Media as a ski tester for Ski Magazines 2005 and 2006 Annual Womens Ski Review.


First Ascent Award (Outdoor): Katie Hawkins
Hawkins is the ambitious young leader and a driving force in the sales department at Black Diamond, Inc. She currently holds the position as International Account Manager for Gregory Mountain Products, having transitioned there from the Action Sports Industry in 2008.

 

With Gregory, she consistently achieves global sales goals, improves sales operation efficiencies, and helped successfully merge Gregory into Black Diamond, Inc. in 2011. Katie earned her Masters in Business Administration from California State University-Sacramento and undergraduate degree in International Business and Spanish from Washington State University. While at WSU she served as chapter President of her sorority, Alpha Chi Omega, and studied abroad, in Sevilla, Spain.

 

Pioneering Woman Award (Snow): Sandy La Rowe
Sandy La Rowe has over twenty years experience in the outdoor and sporting goods industry with a true passion for international business. She has held positions abroad with both Nike and Adidas and received her MBA with an emphasis in International Business. She spent eight years living and working in Europe and driving fast paced growing apparel businesses.

Her passion for the outdoors and sustainability led her to working at Icebreaker, where she set up and established the global product creation headquarters for Icebreaker in Portland, OR. While at Icebreaker she set up the entire team including Design, Development, Fabric R&D and Merchandising.

 

Most recently she has led the charge to set up a Center of Excellence for Amersports working closely with the prestigious brands in the Amersports portfolio: Salomon, Wilson, Arcteryx and Atomic. The Portland based office has tripled the number of employees in the past year and has plans to grow the global talent even more in the upcoming years. Sandy has been instrumental in driving leadership and mentoring to the team as they experience continued growth. Through Sandys leadership, she has worked diligently to recruit merchandising talent and currently over 80 percent of the key global merchandising roles are held by women.

First Ascent Award (Snow): Annelise Loevlie
As COO of Icelantic skis, a Colorado based ski, lifestyle and experience brand, Annelise has been an integral element in shaping the company into what it is today. Performing virtually every role in the company-and pioneering many-from CFO to international sales manager to marketing director, the evolution of the brand has been an individual journey and education of self, that has shaped her into who she is today, both in and out of the industry.


In addition to overseeing daily operations within the Icelantic HQ, Annelise is founder of Icelantics “First Tracks program-a unique community designed with the intention of bringing people together to enjoy the things skiers love most. The program also partners with several industry brands, ski resorts, and other companies to deliver an experience and create association from the products, services and adventures the group enjoys.

Additionally, Annelise is president of Icelantic Europe, which officially opened its doors last January in Malans, Switzerland. This was a big, and important move in the evolution of Icelantic, as the brand continues to expand on a global level and communicate a consistent brand message and product to the highest, snowiest peaks around.
Annelise also sits on the board of directors for SIA, is involved with several local organizations that promote women in sports and business, entrepreneurism and creative industries.