Dive Brief:
- Under Armour on Wednesday announced several senior leadership team changes. Chief Operating Officer Colin Browne, who served as interim CEO from June 2022 through February, is leaving the company this fall. Chief Product Officer Lisa Collier also plans to leave the company in August. Both are leaving to pursue other opportunities, the company said.
- The sports apparel retailer also announced that it has appointed Jim Dausch chief consumer officer, effective July 24, and Danny Miles has been promoted to chief technology officer.
- Under Armour said in its announcement that the leadership changes are part of its “Protect this House 3” strategy. Introduced in May, one of the strategy’s main goals is to drive U.S. sales.
Dive Insight:
Under Armour CEO Stephanie Linnartz, who began leading the company in February, is overseeing a handful of changes to her C-suite.
Among them, two key executives are departing. Collier had served as the company’s chief product officer since 2020. Under Armour said it has begun an external search for a new person to take over that position. In the interim, Dan Leraris, the company’s head of apparel, will serve as chief product officer.
“On behalf of all of the teammates at Under Armour, we wish Lisa the best in her future endeavors,” Linnartz said. “We look forward to continue building, evolving, and enhancing our product lineup based on the foundations she helped establish."
Browne, who is leaving later this year, joined the company in 2016. In addition to his stint as interim CEO, the company says he helped modernize Under Armour’s direct-to-consumer, and digital go-to-market strategies and improved supply chain organization. The company plans to discontinue the chief operating officer position and instead is looking to hire a chief supply chain officer.
Linnartz also thanked Browne for his leadership during his approximately seven-year tenure.
"Colin has played an integral role in Under Armour's transformation, and his leadership, among other things, played a critical role in navigating significant supply chain challenges during the global COVID-19 pandemic,” Linnartz said.
The executive departures come shortly after the Baltimore-based company confirmed it laid off about 50 people in corporate positions. The move was necessary to reduce expenses and move toward profitability, the company said.
At the same time, Linnartz is filling other C-suite roles. Dausch, the company’s new chief consumer officer, will lead the company's global brand, marketing, digital engagement and customer experience across all commerce channels. Dausch will report directly to Linnartz.
Dausch joins from Linnartz's previous company, Marriott International, where he is the global chief product and digital officer. Both have more than 20-year tenures at the hotel company. At Marriott, Dausch led a multi-year program to modernize the company’s technology systems to improve the customer experience and drive revenue.
"Jim is a seasoned executive with deep experience leading transformational initiatives, including digital expansion, global loyalty programs, and launching new businesses and brands – I am confident that his world-class leadership will help unify our team of extremely talented teammates to help drive the next phase of our growth,” Linnartz said in a statement.
Miles, Under Armour’s new chief technology officer, joined the company in 2021. His responsibilities include leading the company's global IT teams, information security, enterprise data management and analytics, and digital storefront functions.
Under Armour said its sales in 2022 rose 3% to $5.9 billion from the past fiscal year. Under Armour had 439 company-owned retail locations globally as of March 31, which is nearly flat from 2022.
