Respect Your Universe, Inc. appointed Kelly Santos, EVP of merchandising, product
development and brand building, and Aditi Sood, VP of sales
for RYU.
Santos has held executive positions with Adidas, QVC, The Limited, and The White House/Black Market, where she was instrumental in growing the number of retail stores from 100 to 350 stores. Santos offers a depth of experience in merchandising and product development for retail stores, catalog and direct TV sales.
Craig Brod, PhD., Chief Executive Officer of RYU, noted that Santos will “lead our merchandise team and deliver products to stores designed to WOW customers. She is accustomed to fast paced fashion-oriented environments catering to discriminating customers.”
Furthermore, Sood was also added to the RYU team and is tasked with growing wholesale accounts, web sales, and retail store sales. Until recently, Sood was an account executive with Nike where she was responsible for managing 30 boutique accounts including the launch of Nike's relationship with Amazon to promote sales. Sood has an MBA from the University of Texas, McCombs School of Business and has held various sales and marketing management positions at Newell Rubbermaid Decor, Maui Jim Sunglasses, and Starbucks. Early in her career, Sood worked for Nordstrom's Department store as a sales associate and was ranked in the top 10 percent of sales associates company wide.
“We are very excited to have this quality of talent join our management team,” stated Craig Brod, PhD. These are among our first steps in building a management team that is equipped to take RYU to the next stage of development. We have made it a top priority to hire talent with significant credentials and accomplishments.”
Respect Your Universe Inc. is a vertically integrated, active lifestyle apparel brand focused on the needs of individuals and athletes alike. The men's and women's performance and active wear lines are specially designed for people who love to move, feel comfortable and look great. Crafted from organic and/or recycled materials, our products are also designed to help nurture the environment.
