Columbia Sportswear Company Announces Appointment of John Christian Walbrecht as Mountain Hardwear Brand President

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PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Columbia Sportswear Company (Nasdaq:COLM), announced today the appointment of John Christian Walbrecht to serve as president of its Mountain Hardwear® brand, effective March 7, 2016.

In his new role, Walbrecht will be responsible for leading all aspects of Mountain Hardwear’s global brand positioning and go-to-market product, sales and marketing strategies.

Columbia Sportswear Company President Bryan Timm, to whom Walbrecht will report, commented, “The Mountain Hardwear brand plays an important role within our portfolio of brands that connect active people with their passions. John has spent his career building brands that connect deeply with passionate, outdoor consumers through high-performance apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment. We are confident that he will help us unlock the global potential of the Mountain Hardwear brand.

“I also want to thank Scott Kerslake, President of our prAna brand, for his interim leadership of Mountain Hardware during the past six months while we conducted the search,” Timm added.

“I am excited to join the Mountain Hardwear team and to begin evolving the strategic direction for a brand that has always stood for innovation, performance, and design integrity,” Walbrecht declared. “Mountain Hardwear’s history of serving the needs of some of the most demanding and accomplished alpinists in the world is a testament to its unique DNA and to its potential to inspire and connect with consumers around the world.”

Walbrecht has been a leader in the outdoor industry for the past 17 years. Since 2012 he has served as president/CEO of Fenix Outdoors North America, based in Boulder, Colorado, where he was responsible for the strategic direction of several well-known performance outdoor brands, including Fjällraven®, Brunton®, Primus and Hanwag®. Prior to that, he served as president of Brandbase, Inc., where he was responsible for global brand management of the Nomis®, Technine®, and Sound snowboarding brands; president of Section, Inc.; Sr. vice president of global sales and marketing at Spyder Active Sports, Inc. and president of Spyder Europe; and as international marketing strategist and board director for Dr. Martens® in the U.S. and England.

Walbrecht holds a master of business administration from Brigham Young University Marriott School of Management. He is an avid ultra-marathoner, triathlete, skier, cycler, fisherman, husband and father.

About Columbia Sportswear Company

Columbia Sportswear Company has assembled a portfolio of brands that connect active people with their passions, making it a leader in the global active lifestyle apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment industry. Founded in 1938 in Portland, Oregon, the company’s brands are today sold in approximately 100 countries. In addition to the Columbia® brand, Columbia Sportswear Company also owns the Sorel®, Mountain Hardwear®, prAna®, and OutDry® brands. To learn more, please visit the company's websites at www.columbia.com, www.mountainhardwear.com, www.sorel.com, www.prana.com, and www.outdry.com.

Fjällraven® is a registered trademark of Fjallraven Sport Equipment AB.

Hanwag® is a registered trademark of Fenix Outdoor AB. Primus is a trademark of Fenix Outdoor AB.

Brunton® is a registered trademark of The Brunton Company Corporation.

Nomis® and Technine® are registered trademarks of Brandbase USA, Inc. Sound is a trademark of Brandbase USA, Inc.

Dr. Martens® is a registered trademark of “Dr. Martens” International Trading GmbH.

Investors:
Columbia Sportswear Investor Relations and Corporate Communications
Ron Parham, 503-985-4584
rparham@columbia.com
or
U.S. Media:
Columbia Sportswear Public Relations
Scott Trepanier, 503-985-4183
strepanier@columbia.com

Source: Columbia Sportswear Company

Released February 22, 2016