Pentland Brands Limited has announced that Matt Rock has assumed the role of president - Americas, Pentland Brands. In this role, he is responsible for Speedo as well as Pentland’s entire portfolio, including Endura and Mitre, in the Americas region.
Rock, who was previously president for Asia Pacific, began his career in sales at Puma and joined Pentland Brands in 2005 as sales manager for Ted Baker footwear. He was promoted to general manager in 2007, during which time he grew Ted Baker footwear sales by more than 800 percent and increased distribution from eight to 28 markets. He joined the Pentland Brands leadership team in 2015 as global supply chain director and was named president - Asia Pacific in 2018, responsible for both the global supply chain and regional trade teams. During this time, Rock transformed both functions into multi-brand operations and led the development of a “digital first” strategy for China, resulting in 100 percent sales growth.
Rock succeeds Jim Gerson, who is retiring at the end of 2022 following the successful transition of the Speedo North America business from PVH Corp. to Pentland Brands. Tom Whitmer, previously executive vice president, operations - Americas, has been promoted to COO - Americas.
Following the acquisition of the Speedo North American business from PVH Corp. in 2020, Pentland Brands has unveiled its plans for a greater emphasis on sustainability and greater opportunities for its core brands (Speedo, Berghaus, Endura, Ellesse and SeaVees) in the U.S. market.
