UNDER ARMOUR® EXPANDS EXECUTIVE TEAM WITH FOUR NEW HIRES
UNDER ARMOUR® EXPANDS EXECUTIVE TEAM WITH FOUR NEW HIRES
May 25, 2005 at 12:00 AM EDT
UNDER ARMOUR® EXPANDS EXECUTIVE TEAM WITH FOUR NEW HIRESBALTIMORE - May 25, 2005 - Under Armour® Performance Apparel today announced the addition of four sporting goods apparel and retail industry veterans to its executive team. In the first quarter of 2005, the rapidly growing performance apparel originator tapped Jody Giles to serve as chief information officer and Scott Gilbertson as senior vice president. Last week, Mark MacKay joined Under Armour® as vice president of international sales and Matt Mirchin came on board as vice president of U.S. sales.
"For nearly a decade, Under Armour's executive team has helped maintain brand authenticity as a company dedicated to providing a competitive advantage to athletes at every level and in every sport," commented Kevin Plank, Under Armour's founder and chief executive officer. "The addition of four seasoned veterans - all of whom have made a personal commitment to the sporting goods industry and to enhancing the performance of athletes through innovation in apparel - will help sustain our growth and allow us to continue being several steps ahead of the competition."
As senior vice president, Gilbertson will assist Under Armour® in formulating and executing corporate strategy focusing on sales, merchandising, forecasting, and production. Prior to joining Under Armour®, Gilbertson served as chief operating officer of the J Crew Group, Inc. where he was responsible for consumer, factory and international business units, as well as warehouse operations and logistics. While at J Crew Group, Inc., Gilbertson also managed the human resources, IT, legal, internal auditing, and loss prevention groups and redefined the company's direct channel strategy. He implemented numerous inventory efficiency and retail inventory initiatives, lowering J Crew Inc.'s inventory by 25% and shortening store delivery time by 40%. Gilbertson served as acting president for J Crew Group, Inc in 2002, where he implemented an operational efficiency initiative resulting in $25 million annual savings. Prior to joining J Crew Group, Inc., Gilbertson served as the Principal for Texas Pacific Group, a multi-billion dollar leverage buyout firm.
In his new role at Under Armour®, Giles will manage the company's computer systems and technology infrastructure. Previously, he served as vice president and chief information officer of Vans Inc., where he led a turnaround of the company's IT department, received the 1999 President's Award, and was recognized as the 2003 Gartner Midsize Enterprise CIO of the Year. While at Vans Inc., Giles developed, launched and directed all facets of shop.vans.com, a profitable distribution channel and brand marketing vehicle. Giles also developed a custom shoe program, allowing customers to design their own shoes online, and successfully instituted the Deployed Sales Force Automation ("VANSport"), Supply Chain Applications ("VansFX"), and Data Warehouse (Q4Bis), all of which improved communication, sales, margin and inventory analysis. Prior to joining Vans Inc., Giles served as vice president and chief information officer of Virgin Interactive Entertainment, where he established an MIS function and implemented an IS Strategic Plan, including outsourcing and enterprise resource planning software analysis.
Stepping in as vice president of international sales, MacKay will respond to an increasing amount of global interest in the Under Armour® brand, extending the company's presence in key markets worldwide. Prior to joining Under Armour®, MacKay served as vice president of international sales for AND1, where he developed and implemented a strategic five-year plan to expand the brand internationally and drive overall growth of the business within international markets. During his tenure at AND1, MacKay was responsible for leading a team that grew international sales by 80-fold, propelling the business into new markets in 125 countries worldwide. Before joining AND1, MacKay served as the head of UK sales for Reebok. Previously, as head of global marketing for Reebok's Rockport division, MacKay repositioned the brand to appeal to younger consumers.
Mirchin joins Under Armour® as vice president of U.S. sales with an in-depth knowledge of the performance apparel industry. In his new position, Mirchin will support Senior Vice President of Sales Ryan Wood in managing key domestic retail accounts. Previously, he served as the president of retail and bookstore sales for Russell Athletic. Prior to joining Russell, Mirchin served in various capacities at Champion where most recently, he was senior vice president of sales and general manager of the company's bookstore division.
"For nearly a decade, Under Armour's executive team has helped maintain brand authenticity as a company dedicated to providing a competitive advantage to athletes at every level and in every sport," commented Kevin Plank, Under Armour's founder and chief executive officer. "The addition of four seasoned veterans - all of whom have made a personal commitment to the sporting goods industry and to enhancing the performance of athletes through innovation in apparel - will help sustain our growth and allow us to continue being several steps ahead of the competition."
As senior vice president, Gilbertson will assist Under Armour® in formulating and executing corporate strategy focusing on sales, merchandising, forecasting, and production. Prior to joining Under Armour®, Gilbertson served as chief operating officer of the J Crew Group, Inc. where he was responsible for consumer, factory and international business units, as well as warehouse operations and logistics. While at J Crew Group, Inc., Gilbertson also managed the human resources, IT, legal, internal auditing, and loss prevention groups and redefined the company's direct channel strategy. He implemented numerous inventory efficiency and retail inventory initiatives, lowering J Crew Inc.'s inventory by 25% and shortening store delivery time by 40%. Gilbertson served as acting president for J Crew Group, Inc in 2002, where he implemented an operational efficiency initiative resulting in $25 million annual savings. Prior to joining J Crew Group, Inc., Gilbertson served as the Principal for Texas Pacific Group, a multi-billion dollar leverage buyout firm.
In his new role at Under Armour®, Giles will manage the company's computer systems and technology infrastructure. Previously, he served as vice president and chief information officer of Vans Inc., where he led a turnaround of the company's IT department, received the 1999 President's Award, and was recognized as the 2003 Gartner Midsize Enterprise CIO of the Year. While at Vans Inc., Giles developed, launched and directed all facets of shop.vans.com, a profitable distribution channel and brand marketing vehicle. Giles also developed a custom shoe program, allowing customers to design their own shoes online, and successfully instituted the Deployed Sales Force Automation ("VANSport"), Supply Chain Applications ("VansFX"), and Data Warehouse (Q4Bis), all of which improved communication, sales, margin and inventory analysis. Prior to joining Vans Inc., Giles served as vice president and chief information officer of Virgin Interactive Entertainment, where he established an MIS function and implemented an IS Strategic Plan, including outsourcing and enterprise resource planning software analysis.
Stepping in as vice president of international sales, MacKay will respond to an increasing amount of global interest in the Under Armour® brand, extending the company's presence in key markets worldwide. Prior to joining Under Armour®, MacKay served as vice president of international sales for AND1, where he developed and implemented a strategic five-year plan to expand the brand internationally and drive overall growth of the business within international markets. During his tenure at AND1, MacKay was responsible for leading a team that grew international sales by 80-fold, propelling the business into new markets in 125 countries worldwide. Before joining AND1, MacKay served as the head of UK sales for Reebok. Previously, as head of global marketing for Reebok's Rockport division, MacKay repositioned the brand to appeal to younger consumers.
Mirchin joins Under Armour® as vice president of U.S. sales with an in-depth knowledge of the performance apparel industry. In his new position, Mirchin will support Senior Vice President of Sales Ryan Wood in managing key domestic retail accounts. Previously, he served as the president of retail and bookstore sales for Russell Athletic. Prior to joining Russell, Mirchin served in various capacities at Champion where most recently, he was senior vice president of sales and general manager of the company's bookstore division.