Vista Outdoor Inc. announced the addition of two independent members, Fran Philip and Lynn Utter, to its board of directors as part of the company’s ongoing board refreshment efforts. The company also announced the upcoming retirement of a current board member, Ambassador April Foley.
Philip has most recently served as CMO for L.L. Bean. Philip has held numerous leadership roles in specialty retail over a more than 35-year career and brings to Vista Outdoor both analytical expertise and a passion for product design and development, merchandising, branding and creative. Philip has served for 17 years as an independent director of multiple public and private company boards. Currently, she serves on public boards at Vera Bradley and Coats Group PLC.
Utter is the chief talent officer of Atlas Holdings Inc, a private investment firm specializing in transforming businesses into high performing organizations. Utter also serves on public boards for WESCO International and Lincoln Financial Corp. Additionally, Utter serves on not-for-profit boards, including the Henry Crown Fellowship Institute at the Aspen Institute, the University of Texas, and the United Way. Prior to her role at Atlas, she served as CEO for First Source LLC and president and COO of Knoll Inc.
“We believe Fran and Lynn will be excellent additions to the Vista Outdoor board of directors,” said Mike Callahan, Vista Outdoor’s chairman. “Fran’s leadership and strategic product experience at world-respected consumer brands and Lynn’s depth of experience with operational and talent management will bring valuable insights to our board. Fran’s and Lynn’s respective backgrounds are well-aligned with our strategic priorities, including sustained organic growth, talent development, operational excellence, and furthering our work on the environmental, social and governance issues that support our mission of bringing the world outside.”
Callahan continued, “Our Nominating and Governance Committee is committed to diversity and regularly bringing fresh perspectives to our board. We have added three new board members during the past two years. These two appointments will complement the strengths and expertise of our current directors as we continue to transform the company and pursue our growth strategy.”
Foley, a member of the board since February 2015, will be retiring at the end of her term in August 2020. Until her retirement, Foley will continue to serve as a director and as a member of the Board’s Management Development and Compensation Committee and Nominating and Governance Committee.
