Columbia Sportswear appoints new SVP, emerging brands

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
Apr 2, 2021

Portland, Oregon-based outdoor apparel group Columbia Sportswear Company has appointed Craig Zanon as senior vice president, emerging brands, effective April 5. 

Zanon will replace Doug Morse, who will retire later this summer and report to Tim Boyle, CEO, president and chairman of the board, following the transition.

Prior to joining Columbia, Zanon spent more than twenty years with Nike, where most recently, he served as vice president and general manager of global basketball. During his time at Nike, he also served as vice president for U.S. footwear and general manager for the Americas.

“Craig brings a wealth of experience that will help us continue the growth trajectory of Sorel, Mountain Hardwear and prana,” said Boyle.

“He will build on the brand-led, consumer focused strategy that we have been pursuing for the last several years.”

Boyle equally thanked Morse for his work and said “his business acumen and commitment to excellence will be missed.”

Morse held many positions within Columbia Sportswear Company, since joining in 1994. He assumed the role of vice president/chief business development officer and general manager of LAAP distributors in 2016, and took on the additional role of managing the emerging brand portfolio and the Asia subsidiaries in 2017 before focusing on the emerging brands in 2020.

“I’m excited to join Columbia Sportswear Company and its portfolio of brands,” said Zanon. “After a year like 2020, it will be a welcome challenge to help drive growth at Sorel, Mountain Hardwear and Prana. I look forward to nurturing the unique aspects of each of these iconic brands to help them reach their potential.”

Over the course of the full fiscal year 2020, the company's sales fell 18 percent to $2.5 billion. In the U.S., where revenues totaled $1.6 billion, the decline was 17 percent, while in Canada sales fell 14 percent to $174.4 million.