Dive Brief:
- Columbia Sportswear has hired Woody Blackford as senior vice president and chief product officer for its Columbia brand, the company announced Monday.
- Blackford most recently served as chief product officer at Canada Goose. He spent 14 years at Columbia previously, holding positions such as vice president of global design and innovation and director of global innovation.
- Columbia credits Blackford for inventing its patented Omni-Heat tech, which is used in many of its products, according to the release.
Dive Insight:
In Blackford’s new role, he will coordinate product aspects of apparel, footwear, accessories, and equipment for the Columbia Brand, as well as help to bring to market Columbia’s patented products, per the release.
“We are delighted to welcome Woody back to Columbia,” Joe Boyle, executive vice president and president of the Columbia brand said in the release. “Woody’s long track record of creating innovative solutions to protect people in the outdoors will help us continue our growth strategy in years to come.”
Blackford succeeds Dean Rurak, who held the chief product officer position at Columbia until November 2022, per his LinkedIn.
Rurak, who now works for Marolina Outdoor, is being sued by Portland, Oregon-based Columbia alongside another former employee William Ferreira, for allegedly violating the Defend Trade Secrets Act and Oregon’s Trade Secrets Act, according to court documents.
That case, filed in April in Oregon District Court, is ongoing.
Columbia’s other brand holdings include prAna, Sorel and Mountain Hardwear, several of which have undergone recent leadership changes.
Earlier this month, Columbia named Tricia Shumavon president of the prAna brand, as part of its plan to reposition the brand for growth. Meanwhile, Sorel is under interim leadership after Mark Nenow stepped down in June for health reasons.
In its most recent report, Columbia decreased its full-year earnings projections for 2023. It now estimates sales will grow 2% to 3.5% to $3.53 billion, as opposed to the previous estimate of 3% to 6%, to about $3.57 billion.
