Liz Braund, a veteran with 20 years of experience in outdoor and active apparel product development, has been named as the new head of product for Outdoor Research, effective immediately. In her new role, Braund will oversee a product development team that has grown and restructured during the last year, said the company.
Braund’s addition and the restructuring were centered around Outdoor Research emphasizing the pairing of technical design and innovation with a more highly specialized focus on fit, user needs and aesthetics.
Braund joins Outdoor Research from Royal Robbins, where she was Vice President of Product, and during the last two years helped re-imagine the Royal Robbins product collection. Prior to that, she worked as Global Director of Outdoor Apparel at The North Face and held several key product and merchandise management roles at Nike.
In addition, Outdoor Research hired Kylene Wolfe as product manager overseeing sportswear category development. Wolfe brings more than 12 years of experience in design and product management to her role. Wolfe comes from Ex Officio, where she directed sportswear product management. Prior to that, she worked as a product manager at Eastern Mountain Sports. She holds a clothing and textiles degree from Virginia Tech.
Braund and Wolfe join a product-development team that includes Alex Lauver, overseeing product management for outerwear; Meghan Martens, Senior Product Manager for gear and accessories; Kim Stanford as Technical Design Manager; Julie Bjornestad as Creative Director; and Jason Duncan overseeing the elite tactical development team.
