Dive Brief:
- Under Armour on Thursday promoted Americas President Kara Trent to the role of chief merchandising officer, effective Feb. 2. She takes the position with 24 years of experience across buying, planning, merchandising and regional leadership.
- Trent will be replaced by 16-year company veteran Adam Peake, who will oversee distribution, omnichannel growth and marketplace strategy in North and South America. He has held a number of senior positions across sales, marketing, footwear and more.
- At the same time, Chief Product Officer Yassine Saidi is transitioning to a senior adviser position. The company said he played a “pivotal role” in updating the brand’s design language in recent years, but stressed the need for “ongoing evolution.”
Dive Insight:
Under Armour is shaking up its product leadership as the brand looks to turn around its business.
In her new role as chief merchant, Trent will oversee go-to-market, category management, product architecture, assortment planning and channel segmentation. She is also tasked with improving SKU productivity and channel profitability.
"Our transformation is gaining momentum as we take deliberate actions to sharpen our focus, strengthen our operational rigor, and elevate how we serve athletes," Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank said in a statement. "These moves bring clarity, cohesion, and energy to the work ahead."
The leadership changes come two months after Under Armour announced a restructuring program and broke ties with star athlete Steph Curry. The brand continues to struggle financially, with overall revenue falling 5% in its most recent quarter, while revenue in North America declined 8%. The retailer also swung to a net loss of $18.8 million.
Key to Under Armour’s turnaround is returning the brand to a more premium position in the market, which has entailed curbing discounts, slashing 25% of its SKUs and introducing more high-end products.
As chief product officer, Saidi has been deeply involved in these changes; he arrived in January 2024, months after Under Armour tapped John Varvatos as its chief design officer. Now, he will take a step back, but will continue to “shape the brand’s long-term design voice,” according to the release.
Already, some of the brand’s product changes have been effective and are helping the brand gain credibility with wholesalers, Plank said on the retailer’s most recent earnings call in November.
“We're seeing positive momentum with many of these accounts in some of our core programs as we continue to sharpen our focus on stronger partnerships, more targeted assortments, elevated merchandising and a premium retail brand experience,” Plank said.
These leadership changes aren’t the only ones on the horizon for Under Armour. Long-time CFO Dave Bergman plans to step down this year, with Samsonite executive Reza Taleghani replacing him next month.
