Icebreaker appoints new CEO

 

-1New Zealand brand Icebreaker has announced the appointment of Rob Fyfe as CEO.

For the past nine months Fyfe has been executive chairman of the board for Icebreaker, working alongside company founder Jeremy Moon to grow the brand.

In the new corporate structure, taking effect June 2, Moon has chosen Fyfe to succeed him as CEO, and will take on the position of executive chairman & creative director himself. The move is designed to capitalize on Fyfe’s extensive experience at the helm of a global business.

“It was a big decision for me to hand over our business to another CEO, but I’ve seen Rob’s passion for what we are building at Icebreaker and I really admire his skills, especially with people. In the end, it was easy for me to put my total trust in Rob.” says Moon.

Fyfe, who has been on Icebreaker’s board since 2012, was most recently the CEO of Air New Zealand, where he was credited with driving a turnaround in the airline’s strategy and culture and maintaining profitability during economic downturns.

“For the past 19 years, Icebreaker has truly excelled in establishing the merino wool category for outdoor apparel by leading exceptional product innovation while building the cleanest clothing company on the planet,” says Fyfe.

“I am excited and honored for the opportunity to lead this incredible team towards the next stage in the company’s evolution.”

Over the past few years, Icebreaker has evolved to become a multichannel integrated business with 19 company branded retail stores, over 4000 wholesale customers, direct e-commerce and over 400 employees worldwide. Sales have tripled in the last six years with sales projected to exceed $200m in 2014, with 80 per cent of these sales now in Europe and North America.

The company is committed to a business model that doesn’t put profits ahead of the environment and is seeking to double sales within the next five years through global expansion across all channels.

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