Xero Shoes hire Michael Pao as chief product officer, effective immediately. He joined the company from Timberland, where he worked as VO of global merchandising.
Pao’s hire comes as Dennis Driscoll, Xero Shoes’ chief product officer, retires after a 44-year career in the footwear industry.
“I’m thrilled to be joining and learning from this talented team as well as contributing to the brand’s success in this ever-expanding market,” Pao commented on his LinkedIn page. “As always, a massive thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way. Here’s to new chapters! (And yes, I did hike a Colorado 14er in Xero last week, and it was !).”
Pao, a footwear industry veteran, has held VP roles at Native Shoes, Crocs and Clarks and senior manager roles at Puma AG. He started his footwear career as an intern at Adidas in 2003.
Photo courtesy Xero Shoes
