Dec. 23, 2016: Umi founder Mark Kohlenberg has announced he is leaving Weyco Group Inc. on Dec. 30 to pursue other entrepreneurial opportunities within the industry. Kohlenberg joined Weyco in 2010, following the sale of Umi to the Milwaukee-based firm. He continued to oversee the children’s brand, launched in 2004, as president. Umi will remain under the Weyco banner.
Dec. 21, 2016: French bootmaker Palladium has hired Douglas Segal as its new brand director and Amy Liu Schatt as marketing manager, effective immediately. Segal, who will report directly to Palladium president Christophe Mortemousque, comes to Palladium after holding similar positions at Dr. Martens and Camper. Schatt, who will report to Palladium global marketing director Olivier Heck and Segal, most recently served as director of marketing, business development and sales at Telestar Corp.
Dec. 19, 2016: Rocky Brands Inc. has named Mike Brooks, chairman of the board of directors and interim chief executive officer, the permanent CEO of the company. He had been serving as the company’s interim CEO since Sept. 8, following the resignation of David Sharp as president and CEO. The company’s board of directors has suspended its previously announced search for a new chief executive officer. Brooks previously served as chief executive officer of the company from August 1991 to July 2011 before being named interim CEO in September, and has served as chairman of the board of directors since August 1991.
Dec. 14, 2016: Philippe Model has appointed Andrea Pesaresi as its new CEO. Pesaresi joined the footwear company on Dec. 1, signing a five-year contract. The appointment is part of the brand’s internationalization process launched in July, when Alessandro Benetton’s private-equity group 21 Investimenti acquired a majority stake in the sneaker label. Pesaresi has spent more than 30 years in the luxury industry, working 25 years with the Ermenegildo Zegna Group, where he was brand and license director, with focus on the Z Zegna line.
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Dec. 12, 2016: Jason LaRose, president of Under Armour North America, and Gene McCarthy, CEO of Asics America, have been elected to serve on the board of directors for the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. The announcements came at the conclusion of the SFIA’s annual meeting on Dec. 7.
Dec. 8, 2016: K-Swiss has named Mike Miringoff its new global director of tennis for the K-Swiss brand. In this role, Miringoff is responsible for all aspects of the performance tennis business in North America, including sales, marketing and product. Miringoff joins K-Swiss from Wilson, where he most recently spent five years living in Shanghai as the brand’s Asia Pacific region commercial manager. He will report directly to Barney Waters, brand president of K-Swiss.
Dec. 7, 2016: Iconix Brand Group Inc., owner of Candie’s, Material Girl, London Fog and other brands, announced that Jamie Cygielman will be joining the company as EVP and chief marketing office, effective Jan. 3. Cygielman has previously served in roles at The Jones Group, Madison Square Garden, Mattel and Revlon.
Dec. 5, 2016: Outdoor footwear company Keen has named Jens Christian Meier its EVP of its global value chain. Meier — who has spent 20 years at Ecco Footwear in various leadership roles — recently served as COO and managing director of Legero Shoes in Austria. Meier joined Keen on Dec. 1.
Dec. 5, 2016: The Footwear Distributors & Retailers of America (FDRA) announced the elevation of its president, Matt Priest, to the role of CEO. In this enhanced role, Priest will continue to lead the 72-year-old association, which he joined in 2009 as president. Prior to his FDRA tenure, Priest served as deputy assistant secretary and senior advisor to the Secretary of Commerce on Trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce. He also served as a senior legislative aide on Capitol Hill.
Dec. 1, 2016: Alberto Oliveros is heading to Hong Kong. The former Level Shoes head buyer has been named GMM of On Pedder, a division of the Pedder Group.
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