22 Mar VF Jeanswear Exec to Lead Outdoor & Action Sports Americas
VF Corp. named Scott H. Baxter president of its Outdoor & Action Sports group in the Americas, effective immediately. Baxter had been in the same role at VF’s Jeanswear Americas, Imagewear and South American operations.
The Outdoor & Action Sports group includes Eagle Creek, Eastpak, JanSport, Kipling, Lucy, Napapijri, Reef, SmartWool, The North Face, Timberland and Vans.
“Scott is an effective, value-creating business leader who has achieved significant success during his nine years at VF,” said VFC President & Chief Operating Officer Steven E. Rendle. “He has a proven record of achievement in retail and wholesale channels, as well as measurable accomplishments in managing iconic brands and the organizations enabling them. He has established and sustained strong customer relationships and knows how to leverage innovation to fuel growth. Scott’s personal and professional strengths make him a strong choice for this important leadership role at VF.”
In 2015, under Rendle’s leadership, VF’s Outdoor & Action Sports coalition in the Americas represented 35 percent of the company’s global revenue. The coalition is home to the company’s three largest brands by revenue: The North Face, Vans and Timberland.
Phil McAdams, a 38-year veteran in VF’s Jeanswear business, will succeed Baxter as President of the Jeanswear Americas coalition, which includes the Wrangler and Lee brands. Tom Waldron, with 21 years’ experience at VF, succeeds McAdams as President of the Wrangler brand. Waldron was previously Vice President, General Manager Mass Brands, within the Jeanswear coalition.
As an additional part of these organizational changes, Kevin Bailey, President, VF Action Sports and Vans, will now have added responsibility to oversee VF activities in Central & South America, as well as the Outdoor & Action Sports businesses in Canada and Mexico. Bailey’s achievements are many, including successfully developing and implementing the Vans brand global strategy, which resulted in significant growth for Vans since his appointment as the brand’s President in 2009. The Vans brand delivered $2.2 billion in global revenue in 2015.
“At VF, we remain sharply focused on our global growth drivers: leading in innovation; connecting with consumers; serving consumers directly; and, expanding geographically,” Rendle said. “Scott, Phil, Tom and Kevin have proven their ability to execute against these drivers as they have worked to position our brands to win in the global marketplace. I have every confidence they will continue to deliver results and provide strong leadership.”