Under Armour rejigs leadership team amid market turbulence
Under Armour, the Baltimore-bases sportswear brand, is undergoing a bout of leadership changes after a turbulent year saw the loss of several top executives which shone a light on the brand’s market difficulties.
Under Armour re-jigs leadership team amidst market turbulence
The most dramatic signal of change came in July with the appointment of apparel veteran Patrik Frisk as a new president and chief operating officer, reporting directly to Under Armour founder Kevin Plank, whose arrival immediately preceded the present restructuring.
That saw Under Armour co-founder Kip Fulks announce he would be taking a sabbatical from the company shortly before a trio of departures as chief marketing officer Andy Donkin; senior vice president Pam Catlett and footwear division head Peter Ruppe all head for the exit door.
Just last week Under Armour revealed a fresh intake of blood in the other direction with former Yahoo executive Michael La Guardia being made vice president of digital product while Mike Lee and Albert Lee, co-founders of recently acquired MyFitnessPal, will pack their bags in January.
In a statement given to the Baltimore Sun, chief human resources officer Kerry Chandler, said: “This year, we’ve made several strategic decisions about our structure, systems and processes. As we prepare for our next chapter of growth, we are tapping great talent — internally and externally — to bring a tighter, smarter focus throughout our organization.”
Following years of stellar growth Under Armour has weathered two quarters of losses this year dealing a knock to the firm's share price.
In July content director Karen Goodman jumped ship to Havas Chicago as group creative director.
Under Armour's reputation took a knock in February when Plank appeared to endorse Donald Trump as a pro-business president.