Columbia Sportswear Company Names Susan S. Parham Vice President of Global Apparel, Accessories and Equipment
PORTLAND, OR -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 01/25/10 -- Columbia Sportswear Company (NASDAQ: COLM), a global leader in active outdoor apparel, footwear and accessories, today announced the appointment of Susan S. Parham as vice president of global apparel, accessories and equipment for the Columbia brand, succeeding Mark Koppes who has left the company to pursue other interests.
Parham joins Columbia with more than 25 years of experience in the apparel industry. Most recently she has served as president of Lessons Learned, a consulting firm she founded in 1998 that focused on developing the business aptitude of global product professionals ranging from design to sales. Clients included Columbia Sportswear Company; multiple Nike divisions globally; Williams-Sonoma, Inc., including its Pottery Barn and Elm Street divisions; Under Armour; Gap; Lucy; Joseph A. Banks; Liz Claiborne; and several other well-known consumer brands.
Prior to founding Lessons Learned, Parham held several leadership positions during a nine-year tenure at Nike, including director of U.S. apparel merchandising, leading a team of 40 merchandisers that drove U.S. revenues from $350 million to $1.2 billion over a three year period. She also served as general merchandising manager of Nike Retail and divisional merchandising manager for women's apparel. Early in her career, she spent six years in New York as account executive and marketing manager with Liz Claiborne, launching the company's hosiery division.
"We are very excited to welcome Sue Parham to Columbia Sportswear and deeply grateful to Mark Koppes for his leadership and commitment over the past four years," said Mick McCormick, executive vice president, global sales and marketing, to whom Parham will report. "Sue's proven leadership and teambuilding skills will be invaluable as we continue to build a world class apparel organization and product creation process to accelerate the pace of innovation we bring to outdoor consumers."
"The privilege of working in a consulting role with Columbia's product and marketing teams for the past nine months has allowed me to see the global potential of the Columbia brand," said Parham. "I look forward to the opportunity and the challenge of leading the apparel, accessories and equipment teams to realize that potential."
About Columbia Sportswear Company
Founded in 1938 in Portland, Oregon, Columbia Sportswear Company is a global leader in the design, sourcing, marketing and distribution of active outdoor apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment. As one of the largest outerwear manufacturers in the world and a leading seller of skiwear in the United States, the company has developed an international reputation for quality, performance, functionality and value. The company manages a portfolio of outdoor brands including Columbia Sportswear, Montrail, Mountain Hardwear, Pacific Trail, and Sorel. To learn more about Columbia, please visit the company's website at http://www.columbia.com/.
Leslie Constans Columbia Sportswear PR (503) 985.4183 Email Contact Ron Parham Columbia Sportswear Investor Relations and Corporate Communications (503) 985.4584 Email Contact
Released January 25, 2010