An Aussie returns home. Former Vice President & General Manager of Nike Pacific will work for Rip Curl from now on.
New Zealand-based KMD Brands has appointed a new representative for one of its brands. Ashley Reade is to become the new CEO of Australian surf brand Rip Curl. He will be joining the group in the coming months and will sit on the KMD Brands Executive Team, reporting to Group CEO Brent Scrimshaw.
Reade knows Oceania, having grown up in the Australian state of Victoria and spent his summers surfing and exploring the iconic Surf Coast, where Rip Curl was founded. He has also served as Vice President & General Manager of Nike Pacific, which he helped grow into a business worth 1 billion Australian dollars (€0.6bn). There he held leadership positions at the World Headquarters in Portland, Oregon, overseeing global sales for Women’s Sportswear and Men’s Training. Prior to this, he was based in Shanghai, where his teams that oversaw the strategic account portfolio – including two of the company’s top five global retail partners.
His base will now be Rip Curl’s global headquarters, in Torquay, Victoria.
“Ashley has a proven track record of fostering deep consumer connections, building world-class teams, and driving outstanding growth,” said Brent Scrimshaw, Group CEO and Managing Director of KMD Brands. “I’m thrilled to welcome him to KMD Brands and look forward to a partnership that will elevate Rip Curl to be the number 1 surf brand worldwide.”
Incoming CEO of Rip Curl, Ashley Reade said: “Rip Curl is the ultimate surfing company, and joining this iconic brand as CEO is a career-defining moment. Having spent the last 20 years celebrating sport and its central role in the lives of customers worldwide, I’m excited to bring that same passion to surfing and the lifestyle it represents.”
Rip Curl is seeing bright times, as SGI Europe reported in January.
KMD Brands has a few other new executives. Last October, it appointed a new CEO.
