Under Armour announced that Peter Ruppe has joined the organization’s executive leadership team as senior vice president of footwear, effective immediately. Ruppe led Nike’s basketball business for a decade and recently has been working with Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll on the development of his WinForever coaching and motivational platform.
In this position, Ruppe will be directly responsible for guiding the strategy, merchandising and development of all footwear, including men’s, women’s and youth offerings.
“Peter is one of the most respected and accomplished strategic leaders in the footwear space, with more than 25 years of unrivaled experience and success,” said Kip Fulks, Under Armour COO. “He has a commanding, entrepreneurial spirit and an eye for innovation that will be invaluable to Under Armour, as we continue to assert and expand our global leadership in footwear.”
Ruppe most recently served as president of Alchemy Global, the first online full-service investment platform dedicated to the sports and entertainment industry. He is most noted for his work as CEO of WinForever and his nearly 25-year tenure at Nike, where, at various times, he served as vice president and general manager of global footwear categories and merchandising, VP and GM of global equipment and VP and GM of athletic training and field sports.
Ruppe will be responsible for developing the brand’s strategic vision and footwear category plan, and he will continue to drive commercialization as he employs a world-class design and engineering team.
“In a short period of time, Under Armour has proven itself to be a dominant force in the convergence of sports, design and innovation, and I am extremely excited to join this family,” said Ruppe. “I share the brand’s passion for innovation and performance, and footwear represents the leading edge of growth opportunities related to those core values.”
Ruppe will be based out of the company’s headquarters in Baltimore, MD.
