VF Corp. appointed Steve Murray, former president of Vans, to the new position of vice president, strategic projects. He will report to VF’s Chairman, President and CEO Steve Rendle and will serve on the company’s senior leadership Team.
The appointment to vice president, strategic projects marks a return to VF for Murray. He served as president of the company’s Vans brand for five years following VF’s acquisition of the brand in 2004. He later served as president of VF’s Action Sports coalition.
“As VF continues to transform into a more agile, consumer-centric organization, it’s essential that we maintain a sharp focus on advancing the high-priority, strategic initiatives that will accelerate growth for our brands and create value across our global enterprise,” said Rendle. “Steve is an ideal leader to provide this level of sharp focus for VF. He possesses a unique blend of apparel and footwear industry expertise, a proven record of leading successful businesses transformations and an intimate knowledge of the VF business model, all of which will enable him to quickly create meaningful value. We’re pleased to welcome Steve back to the One VF family.”
In this newly-created position, Murray will work closely with members of VF’s senior leadership team, global brand presidents and others to lead work around key strategic projects, including elevating The North Face brand’s footwear product strategy and supporting the successful integration of the Altra brand into VF and the extension of its technical footwear capabilities into VF’s outdoor footwear platform. VF recently announced a definitive agreement to acquire the Altra brand from Icon Health & Fitness.
“A hallmark of VF is the company’s ability to continually adapt to changes and transform itself, either through its M&A strategy or by leveraging its operational strength to seize new opportunities that keep it at the forefront of the industry,” said Murray. “It’s an exciting time to be rejoining VF, and I look forward to contributing to its next phase of growth and success.”
Murray has more than 30 years of experience in the apparel and footwear industry. He most recently served as CEO of Airwair International (Dr. Martens), where he was responsible for leading the company’s transformation from a manufacturing-led, family-owned entity to a consumer-focused, private equity-backed, global retailer. Prior to that he served as global brand president of Urban Outfitters, and EMEA president at Deckers Brands. Earlier in his career Murray was the global head of apparel at Reebok International.
Murray holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Studies from Middlesex University, England.
VF’s major brands include Vans, The North Face, Timberland, Wrangler and Lee.
