Sport Brands International has named Jeffrey Howald as Vice President, Finance Special Projects. Mr. Howald is the latest in a series of new executive appointments at the holding company which purchased Fila and all of its subsidiaries worldwide in June, 2003.
In his new role, Mr. Howald assumes global responsibility for coordinating and implementing development projects across the business with a specific focus on special projects. He is currently working on the transition of Fila's United Kingdom business to new partner Proline. He will report to Bob Galvin, SBI's worldwide CFO and President of European Operations.
Mr. Howald comes to Fila as a highly regarded financial executive with over 20 years of experience in the footwear and apparel industry. Prior to joining Sport Brands International, Howald was the Chief Financial Officer at Excalibur Holding Corporation and the Chief Financial Officer at GLA New Ventures/Telecom Management Consultants.
The majority of Howald's professional experience comes from 18 years at the Nine West Group in several financial and operations positions. Most recently, Howald was the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Nine West Group's division of Jones New York. Mr. Howald was part of a team that took Nine West public in 1993 and helped the company grow from a $100 million footwear brand to an over $2 billion lifestyle footwear and accessories company.
“Jeff brings a wealth of industry experience to the SBI team,” said Bob Galvin, CFO of Sport Brands International. “Under his leadership, we hope to make significant developments in the financial processes of SBI's brands. His extensive and diverse corporate finance and holding company experience will be a benefit during the restructuring process and in the years ahead.”
Mr. Howald received a bachelors of science in Accounting from St. Louis University in 1983. He will split his time between Fila's offices in London, New York, Sparks, Maryland & Biella, Italy.
