Simms Fishing Products, a manufacturer of waders, outerwear, footwear and technical apparel in fishing, on Wednesday announced the hiring of Strick Walker as its chief marketing officer.
Walker brings years of experience building established and emerging brands and will lead all marketing initiatives beginning in early 2020.
“Strick is a proven leader who will bring valuable marketing experience in the outdoor industry and public sector to Simms,” said Casey Sheahan, CEO of Simms. “We are excited to have him join our team and are confident he will deliver a powerful brand strategy, meaningful key consumer insights, and savvy product marketing across all channels to broaden awareness and excitement around the Simms brand.”
Over the past two decades, Walker has worked for a variety of brands and organizations, within and beyond the outdoor industry. Prior to Simms, he was CMO at Merrell. Before that, he served as global marketing director for Patagonia and spent six years in global marketing at Converse. Walker also spent years on the agency side, working at design/ad shops like IDEO and Y&R.
“It’s an honor to join the incredible team at Simms,” said Walker. It’s a rare opportunity to marry my personal passion with my profession. Simms is a great brand with a rich history of manufacturing the best and most innovative fishing products on the market. I’m excited to help grow the business across channels in a powerful and complimentary way.”
In the public sector, Walker helped build 1% for the Planet, an organization whose members contribute at least one percent of their annual sales to environmental causes. During his time there the organization grew to over 1,200 member-businesses in 40 countries, contributing millions to more than 2000 NGOs each year.
Walker has also served on the boards of Protect Our Winters and The Conservation Alliance. He lives in Grand Rapids, MI, with his wife Leanna, kids Ruby and Fred, and their dog Millie. Beginning in February 2020, Walker will split time between Grand Rapids and Bozeman, MT, as he assumes his new position with Simms.
