Scarpa North America Promotes Melanie Hood, Joe Higby To New Roles On Leadership Team

SCARPA North America, the wholly owned U.S. and Canadian distributor for SCARPA, a global leader in performance mountain footwear, recently promoted Melanie Hood to Director of Marketing and Communications and Joe Higby to VP of Finance.

In her new role, Hood will become part of SCARPA North America’s Executive Leadership team and Higby has been elevated in his continuing role on the Executive team. That team also includes CEO Kim Miller and VP of Sales Mark Mathews. As the North American operation builds on 16 years of steady growth since it was founded in 2005, Hood and Higby will help direct the brand’s trajectory in the U.S. and Canadian markets working closely with SCARPA’s global leadership team at the company’s headquarters in northern Italy. Hood and Higby are both based in SNA’s Boulder, Colo., office.

“Growth of a company is intrinsically connected to the growth of people who work there,” Miller said. “Amidst all of the challenges in the world right now, our business is growing, and that’s a reflection of the effort put in by Melanie and Joe, and many others here as well. SCARPA is a family-owned business that not only creates and makes products, but that owns 90% of its own manufacturing facilities, and so the connection between people at all levels — that peer-to-peer relationship — is super important. If you want to grow a company, you grow the people along with it. I’m proud to have Melanie and Joe on the leadership team here at SNA.”

Hood, who has worked as SNA’s marketing manager since early 2018 and who also holds a business-management degree, will direct all aspects of North American marketing strategy and communications for the SCARPA brand. Her purview includes events, sponsorships, athlete relationships, advertising, public relations, marketing collateral, social and web. She will also help direct efforts around sustainability and DEI efforts on part of the SCARPA brand.

In the past year, Hood was co-creator of the SCARPA Athlete Mentorship Initiative (SAMI), a program designed to create more access, support and opportunity for outdoor athletes from historically marginalized communities. The program pairs 31 aspiring athletes in the climbing, mountaineering, skiing and running categories who are from BIPOC, LGBTQ and Disabled communities with mentors from SCARPA’s athlete team.

Higby has served as SCARPA North America’s Finance Manager since early 2016. In his new role, he will continue to manage and direct all aspects of SNA’s finances, but will take on a larger role around strategic direction and long-term financial goals working with various company departments. He will also lead planning efforts with the global finance and leadership teams at SCARPA headquarters in Italy.

In addition to his role as VP of Finance, Higby also serves on SCARPA North America’s board of directors.