Vuori Nabs Former Vans, Billabong, Yeti Execs as it Fills Out C-Suite
The momentum continues at Vuori, with the activewear brand announcing Tuesday that it has hired four executives to its C-suite.
Three of the four are new positions to the company, which was valued at $4 billion following a $400 million investment by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 in 2021.
The new hires, some of whom joined the company last year and were not formally announced until now, bring to Vuori industry experience from companies such as Vans, Billabong, and Yeti. The new executives include:
- General Counsel and Corporate Secretary Libby Stockstill, who is the first to hold this position at Vuori. Stockstill joined the company in March, and is responsible for building and overseeing the company’s legal department. Stockstill previously served as Vans’ vice president and global general counsel, and before that was North America general counsel for Billabong and its broader brand portfolio. Before going in-house, Stockstill practiced corporate law at Latham & Watkins LLP.
- Chief People Officer Jen Frisch, who is the first to hold the position, and is responsible for hiring across headquarters and the company’s stores. Frisch, who was hired in February, previously served as Starbucks Coffee Co.’s senior vice president of partner resources.
- Chief Information Officer Bryan Muehlberger, who was Vuori’s first CIO when he was tapped for the spot in August, is responsible for all things digital and IT across the company. Muehlberger previously held the CIO position at health and fitness firm The Beachbody Co.
- Chief Operating Officer Hugh Garrity, who joined Vuori last June from Yeti where he was head of global operations. Garrity helped Yeti navigate its way through the pandemic and is credited for streamlining the company’s supply chain. Vuori said Garrity will help in “evolving the brand’s sourcing, fulfillment, and logistics footprint” among other responsibilities.
“Libby, Hugh, Jen, and Bryan will be an integral part of our senior leadership team going forward,” Vuori founder and CEO Joe Kudla said in a statement Tuesday. “These executives have impressive backgrounds, combined with a unique passion for what they do that will contribute greatly to Vuori’s vision for the future.”
The bolstering of the executive ranks comes as Vuori eyes international expansion, amid continued demand for its product in the U.S.
Check out what some industry retailers recently told SES about Vuori:
Kari Hamanaka can be reached at [email protected].
