Columbia Sportswear has named Franco Fogliato senior vice president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) with effect from Nov. 4. As reported in the previous article, Fogliato is on the verge of leaving Billabong International, where he spent nine years after holding various leadership roles at The North Face between 1997 and 2003, including that of general manager for Western Europe. Currently aged 44, he has been most recently Billabong's general manager for Europe.
At Columbia, he will fill a long void left by the departure of Christian Finell at the beginning of this year, after five and a half years in the Swiss-based post. Technically, Fogliato succeeds Doug Morse, who has been the European interim general manager since February, concentrating on the countries where the group controls the distribution. Morse was previously in charge of Canada.
After a transition period, Morse will move to a newly created role of chief business development and strategic planning officer, relocating next January to the company's head office in Portland, Oregon.
Reporting directly to Tim Boyle, chief executive of Columbia Sportswear, Fogliato will take care of the Columbia, Mountain Hardwear and Sorel brands in terms of sales, distribution and marketing. Like at Billabong recently, he will have a tough job at Columbia, considering the fact that the group's sales in the EMEA region plunged by 16 percent to $230.6 million in 2012.
Boyle stated that Fogliato “understands the European consumer” and pointed out that he has long-standing relations with many key accounts. Under Fogliato's management, Billabong's sales grew from €90 million to €250 million until 2011, partly because of acquisitions, but then declined like those of other surfwear companies.
