Columbia Sportswear Company has appointed John Christian Walbrecht to serve as president of its Mountain Hardwear brand. The move is effective March 7, 2016. Walbrecht will replace Scott Kerslake, President of Columbia Sportswear’s Prana brand, who had been serving as interim president of Mountain Hardware during the past six months.
A 17-year industry veterarn. Walbrecht since 2012 has served as president/CEO of Fenix Outdoors North America, based in Boulder, Colo,, where he was responsible for the strategic direction of several well-known performance outdoor brands, including Fjällraven, Brunton, Primus and Hanwag. Prior to that, he served as president of Brandbase, Inc., where he was responsible for global brand management of the Nomis, Technine and Sound snowboarding brands; president of Section, Inc.; SVP of global sales and marketing at Spyder Active Sports Inc. and president of Spyder Europe; and as international marketing strategist and board director for Dr. Martens in the U.S. and England.
“The Mountain Hardwear brand plays an important role within our portfolio of brands that connect active people with their passions,” said Columbia Sportswear Company President Bryan Timm, whom Walbrecht will report to. “John has spent his career building brands that connect deeply with passionate, outdoor consumers through high-performance apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment. We are confident that he will help us unlock the global potential of the Mountain Hardwear brand.”
