Dive Brief:
- Fitness apparel brand Sweaty Betty this week announced the appointment of Kerry Williams as its chief marketing officer, per a company press release. Williams’ LinkedIn page states she has been in the role since November.
- A former England and Great Britain international hockey player, Williams most recently was chief marketing officer of Myzone Group Ltd, a connected fitness and wearable tech brand.
- Prior to Myzone, Williams was chief marketing officer of Gymspin / Herd Brands. She worked for more than a decade at Nike in a variety of leadership roles, including Nike Global Football where she held a consumer-focused marketing leadership role for multiple England National Team Campaign launches and the UEFA Women’s Championships.
Dive Insight:
Sweaty Betty joins a growing list of brands that have made executive changes in the new year.
“I am thrilled to have Kerry join Sweaty Betty,” Melissa Mullen, Sweaty Betty global brand president, said in a statement. “Her charitable experience and personal values are in profound alignment with the values that we hold in the brand and in our charitable Sweaty Betty Foundation.”
Sweaty Betty has undergone a number of changes the past few years, including being sold and reorganized. Sweaty Betty was acquired in 2021 by Wolverine World Wide to help the company enhance its DTC strategy. Its CEO at the time, Julia Straus, initially remained following the deal. But in 2023 Mullen succeded Straus as global brand president. Mullen is also a former Nike executive.
As the reorganization continued with Sweaty Betty being folded into Wolverine’s International Group, the brand last year announced there would be job cuts to its U.K. workforce.
“Sweaty Betty was the first brand to take women’s activewear seriously when I was an athlete, with a mission of empowerment that is still the beating heart of the business,” Williams said in a statement. “I am honored to join the team at this pivotal time for the brand as we look to inspire and engage women on a global scale and propel Sweaty Betty into its next chapter.”
A number of DTC companies in the past year have appointed chief marketing officers. Vuori, True Religion, Birdy Grey, Peloton and Wayfair all named CMOs in 2023.
