Reef announced the hiring of footwear industry veteran, John Eades, as its new senior director of product.

Eades returns to Reef as he was a hire of Reef’s founders, Santiago and Fernando. He came on board as Reef’s design manager in 2003 and was with the brand as director of product until 2009.

Following his original stint at Reef, Eades went on to launch his own brand, Vere Sandal Company, where he and his partner built a factory in the USA making sustainable sandals. After eight years running Vere, he was recruited to lead the footwear product team at Roxy.

“To have John Eades lead our product team, was a no-brainer. He’s one of the most experienced sandal experts in the world and Reef runs in his blood,” said Mike Jensen, president of Reef. “John’s role is to activate an entrepreneurial approach to product development that’s more closely tied to the immediate needs of our consumers. His job is to make the best product for sandal lovers around the world, and I have no doubt he will succeed.”

Photo courtesy Reef