Columbia Appoints Craig Zanon As Senior Vice President, Emerging Brands
Columbia Sportswear Company (Nasdaq: COLM) has announced the impending retirement of Doug Morse, Senior Vice President, Emerging Brands, in the summer of 2021, and the hiring of Craig Zanon to fill the vacancy created by Morse’s retirement.
“Craig brings a wealth of experience that will help us continue the growth trajectory of SOREL, Mountain Hardwear and prAna,” said Tim Boyle, CEO, President and Chairman of the Board. “He will build on the brand-led, consumer focused strategy that we have been pursuing for the last several years.”
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.
Morse has held many positions within Columbia Sportswear Company, beginning as a temp in the Consumer Department in November of 1994. After several successful roles in Operations, he served for five years as General Manager in Canada and one year as the interim GM in Europe, before assuming the role of Vice President / Chief Business Development Officer and General Manager of LAAP Distributors in 2016. Morse 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.
“Doug has been a key part of our growth strategy, helping guide business development and acquisitions for the past seven years,” said Boyle. “He has been a critical part of our Senior Leadership Team, and his business acumen and commitment to excellence will be missed.”
Zanon will be joining the company on April 5th to ensure an effective transition to the role of Senior Vice President, Emerging Brands upon Morse’s retirement.
The role of Senior Vice President, Emerging Brands will continue to report to Tim Boyle following the transition.
“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.”
