British cycling brand Rapha has appointed Scott Mellin, a former Salomon and The North Face executive, to its Board of Directors.
Rapha said the appointment comes as Rapha “continues to expand its global community of riders and Rapha Cycling Club (RCC) members, deepen its presence in competitive cycling and extend its position at the intersection of sport and culture.”
Rapha added, “Mellin’s experience shaping brand identity across material innovation, sustainability, cultural marketing, and luxury positioning makes him a natural fit for the board as the company looks to its next phase.”
As global chief brand officer at Salomon, Mellin was responsible for driving the “vision, transformation and modernization” of the French mountain sports brand. It is reported that he added $1 billion in net revenue and doubled brand awareness in his three years with the business.
Mellin was previously the global general manager of mountain sports at The North Face. Rapha said, “His redefinition of the brand’s pinnacle performance range, Summit Series, is credited as a key driver of exponential growth. During his tenure, he also relaunched the brand’s footwear category and led sustainability programming, “increasing recycled product content from 7 percent to over 70 percent. Mellin oversaw the development of a complete suite of new textiles for mountain sports, including groundbreaking materials like Futurelight.”
Rapha noted that under the leadership of Fran Millar, who joined the business in September 2024, Rapha has been exploring several growth initiatives. One example is a major partnership with USA Cycling, announced last year, that will see Rapha kit out the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic cycling teams at Los Angeles 2028.
“Scott has a track record of pushing brands to find new cultural relevance whilst deepening authenticity and a sense of heritage. That insight will be invaluable as we grow Rapha’s reach without compromising what makes this brand extraordinary. In addition, his credentials in driving product strategy and textile innovation will help sharpen our product pipeline,” said Millar. “Rapha has always looked beyond the sport and my experience has taught me what you gain from people at the top of their game in different industries. Scott brings not only a wealth of experience but fresh eyes and a new perspective. We are delighted he’s joining us.”
“Rapha is in a period of transformation, increasingly confident and starting to innovate at speed. I hope to act as a kind of catalyst for those changes, so that the next few years completely reinvent what it feels like to wear Rapha. I am honored to be joining the brand in this new era,” said Mellin.
Images courtesy Rapha
