Evo Celebrates The Hiring Of Xandy Anderson As Head Of Vertical Product And New Role For Director Ben Wallace

Evo, the outdoor retail and experiences brand, announces today that outdoor industry veteran, Xandy Anderson will be joining the evo team in March as Head of Vertical Product to lead evo’s owned brand product lines. Anderson will bring more than a dozen years of experience to the role and joins the team from fellow outdoor brand Dakine, where she served as the vice president of Product & Merchandising. evo branded gear and private label brands are both a major brand opportunity and a growth category for the company, which is continuing to expand its vertical lines business.

“Xandy is an incredible leader and has demonstrated that she is a key player in the space, with the background to help us fully realize the opportunity that we have with our vertical brands: evo Private Label, Season, and Oyuki,” said Bryce Phillips, the founder and CEO of evo.

Phillips believes that the brand’s vertical lines present an opportunity for the company to engage their customers in a unique way, adding, “Our customers share our love of the outdoors and mirror our passion for art, music, travel and more. Our vertical brands give us the opportunity to design products that are in step with their lifestyle”

Anderson is excited to be joining the evo team and is looking forward to growing with the progressive company, she notes, “This brand has incredible momentum, and I can’t wait to be a part of a team that is constantly evolving and pushing into new and exciting areas. I’m grateful and eager to help drive the future of retail and product while continuing to take care of the communities that we’re invested in.”

Coming on the tail of International Women’s Day, Anderson’s hire is further proof that evo is committed to diversity and equity across all levels of the company. “At evo, we’re working to build and nurture a culture where equity, inclusivity, and compassion are inherent to how we operate and evolve. We recognize and value the uniqueness of each individual’s experiences and understand the power in the diversity of ideas and opinions,” Phillips added.

Evo has been working to increase female representation internally and has made great strides over the last year. Half of its retail stores are now led by women and 43 percent of headquarters staff are women, up 13 percent from 2020. People Leaders are now 39 percent women, a number that has increased by 25 percent over the previous year. The senior team has also seen a 25 percent increase in women over the last year and is up to 31 percent.

Ben Wallace Promoted to Director of Emerging Business

Evo is also thrilled to announce that Ben Wallace is now taking on an elevated position in the company, moving from his current role as Director of Business Development at evo to being named the new Senior Director of Emerging Business. Wallace will focus on driving growth in evo’s vertical product categories, integrating Rhythm Japan into the evo family and expanding the company’s travel business, evoTrip.

“Ben Wallace has been a huge part of the team the last few years and has helped evo grow into new and exciting categories, he knows the ins and out of the brand and is the perfect person to lead these new initiatives. He is ingrained with our customer base and genuinely understands their lifestyle, so we know that he will continue these efforts in his new role,” commented Phillips.