With gyms closed throughout the country and months of being forced to working out at home, the coronavirus sparked a running boom. Now that restrictions are relaxing, its up to brands and retailers to keep consumers on the road.
Market leaders will address plans to accomplish this during FN’s upcoming webinar, “Making the Most of the Running Boom,” scheduled for Oct. 14 at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT. The virtual event is the latest in a series where industry insiders address the important issues impacting footwear today.
The conversation will feature insights from Saucony president Anne Cavassa; Brooks COO Dan Sheridan; Asics VP of categories Ian Dickinson; Heartbreak Hill Running Co. co-owner Justin Burdon; and Afterpay co-founder and North America CEO Nick Molnar. Leading the discussion is FN senior athletic and outdoor editor Peter Verry.
Key topics include how the running boom is impacting sales and how people shop, the changes to people’s running habits that will come from the coronavirus, how to keep people on the road now that gyms are reopening and how this boom will impact the industry for years to come.
Watch on FN
Read on to learn more about the speakers.
Anne Cavassa
With more than 20 years of brand building experience, Cavassa took over as Saucony’s president in May 2018. The executive, who is an avid runner, is also the president of the Saucony Run for Good Foundation, which was established in 2006 to help combat childhood obesity by providing financial support to community-based youth running programs. Cavassa has long been a prominent figure within the athletic and outdoor markets, holding executive roles at Brooks, Timberland, Nike, Reebok and others prior to joining Saucony.
Dan Sheridan
Sheridan is a Brooks veteran, having joined the brand in 1998. Today, the exec leads its sales, e-commerce, digital, supply chain and information technology teams as COO. Prior to assuming the COO position, Sheridan held several leadership roles throughout the years in global sales, e-commerce, regional marketing execution, business development and customer service.
Ian Dickinson
After joining Asics as its VP of footwear merchandising in October 2017, Dickinson now leads a team of merchandisers across the performance running, sport style and core performance sports categories as its VP of categories for North America. Prior to Asics, the 22-year footwear industry veteran held leadership roles at Under Armour, Nike and Fila.
Justin Burdon
Burdon is the co-founder and president of Heartbreak Hill Running Co., a leading specialty running retailer with locations in Boston and Chicago. In his roles, Burdon is responsible for developing and executing the strategic vision of the company.
Nick Molnar
After launching Afterpay in Australia in October 2014, Molnar expanded into the U.S. in May 2018 and the U.K. in June 2019. Prior to Afterpay, the entrepreneur created the online jeweler Ice.com and worked as an investment analyst at venture capital fund M. H. Carnegie & Co.
