25 Sep Columbia Sportswear Hires Manufacturing and Marketing Execs
Columbia Sportswear Company hired Steve Woodside, formerly at VF Corp., as vice president of global manufacturing while Stuart Redsun, formerly at Under Armour, was appointed to the newly-created position of chief marketing officer.
Woodside joined Columbia on August 25, 2014 in the newly-created role of vice president of global manufacturing, with leadership responsibilities spanning the company’s global supply chain for apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment. Woodside is a 25-year veteran of footwear and apparel manufacturing, most recently serving in Hong Kong as VF Corp.’s vice president of global footwear, overseeing global footwear sourcing and manufacturing. Prior, he spent 23 years at Nike, Inc., during which he led both apparel and footwear manufacturing operations at various times, and was instrumental in promoting the adoption of advanced lean manufacturing processes by the company’s contract manufacturers. He has spent more than half of his career living and working in Asia, including assignments in Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam, China and Hong Kong.
“Steve is a highly regarded supply chain and manufacturing executive with a wealth of experience in apparel, equipment, and footwear,” noted Tim Boyle, Columbia Sportswear Company’s president and CEO. “He brings a depth and breadth of knowledge that can only be gained from hands on experience and valued, long-standing relationships throughout the global supply chain. We are delighted to have him on board and look forward to his insights to support our anticipated growth.”
Woodside will report directly to Columbia’s chief operating officer, Bryan Timm.
The company also announced the appointment of marketing veteran Stuart Redsun to the newly-created position of chief marketing officer, effective October 6, 2014. In this role, Redsun will be responsible for developing and executing global consumer marketing programs for the Columbia, Sorel and Montrail brands. He will report to Mr. Boyle.
Redsun has held numerous marketing leadership roles within the athletic footwear and apparel industry, most recently as senior vice president of global brand marketing for Under Armour, Inc., and at Nike, Inc., where he began his marketing career. He has also led marketing communications for global technology brands Gateway, Motorola and Sony.
“Stu brings tremendous experience in developing and executing successful global marketing strategies for consumer brands,” Boyle said. “We look forward to his contributions in developing effective and efficient marketing communications that fuel continued growth by building stronger emotional connections between our brands and consumers around the world.”
In related moves, Columbia announced the pending retirements of current vice president of global marketing, Dan Hanson, and current vice president of global apparel manufacturing, Patrick Werner.
“Dan and Patrick have been great leaders at Columbia Sportswear over the past 25 years and 10 years, respectively,” said Boyle. “They have each been instrumental in the substantial growth of the business over those time periods, including our development and introduction of numerous market-altering innovations. We appreciate their dedication and innumerable contributions, and wish them each all the best in their next adventures.”
Both Werner and Hanson plan to remain on board for specified periods in order to ensure smooth transitions to their successors.