On the heels of New Zealand-based Icebreaker announcing the ascension of Greg Smith to Global CEO, the company announced that Josh Vaughan will be taking the helm as Head of Wholesale in the region. Concurrently, Trudie Abel has been announced as the new Head of Marketing North America, where her office has powered up with three new additions to its marketing cadre.
Vaughan’s role as Head of Wholesale North America comes after five years ascending Icebreaker’s corporate ranks. He started working for the company in 2012 as a Key Account Manager and later served for three years as Head of Wholesale Australia. His most recent position was as Head of Retail for Australia, where under his leadership the business experienced 52% growth.
Abel, too, comes to Icebreaker’s Vancouver North American headquarters from within the company’s talent pool, most recently serving as Global Marketing Manager under the direction of the brand’s Chief Brand & Product Officer Carla Murphy based out of the Auckland head office. Prior to joining Icebreaker, she held a variety of global leadership marketing positions in the outdoor and sports industry with brands such as Polar Sports and agencies including J. Walter Thompson and Euro RSCG. Since assuming her duties, Abel has restructured the department by marketing specialization dedicating support to direct-to-consumer and wholesale sales channels; bringing design in-house; consolidating agency partners and making three new hires.
The three new marketing additions in North America include Lisa Lethbridge, as Wholesale Marketing Coordinator; Briana Hungerford as Consumer Marketing Coordinator and Matthew Clouston as Graphic Designer.
Clouston and Lethbridge are both native New Zealanders, and the staffing of Icebreaker’s North American headquarters with homegrown talent reflects the company’s commitment to developing and promoting talent from its own ranks. Icbreaker’s commitment to authenticity and talent development means that its core brand attributes expands even as the company grows from its New Zealand roots into a global apparel leader.
“International sales now account for 86 percent of Icebreaker’s overall revenue, and Icebreaker’s North American business is one of our two largest global regions. The quality and experience that Trudie, Josh, and the new marketing appointments bring reflect our focus on winning in North America, and the importance of the North American business to our future growth,” said Justin Walford, GM of North America.
