Rolf Schmid, one of the most prominent executives in the European outdoor industry, is to relinquish his job as chief executive of Mammut Sports Group. The departure has been agreed “by mutual consent,” says a statement from Conzzeta, the Swiss company that controls Mammut. Schmid has been with Mammut since 1996, turning the Swiss brand into an international outdoor group, and he said a few years ago that he was hoping to retire while still at the company. His departure may not be entirely unrelated to the change of leadership earlier this year at Conzzeta. Michael Willome joined as chief executive at the start of January, after many years at Clariant, a Swiss specialty chemicals group. Mammut has been under pressure from unfavorable exchange rates for the Swiss franc, leading to the group's decision last year to close the rope production unit at its head office in Seon. The turnover of Conzzeta's sporting goods segment declined by 5.8 percent to 235.3 million Swiss francs (€212.9m-$237.1m) in 2015. Conzzeta added at the time that Mammut's operating result and operational cash flow will be adversely affected in the coming years by the costs of a five-year strategic program. Schmid is to leave as chief executive of Mammut and as a member of Conzzeta's executive committee. He will stay until a successor has been found and remain involved with the company as a consultant. The statement adds that Schmid intends to work as an independent consultant in management and marketing, while taking on more board assignments. The affable and very widely appreciated Swiss manager has played a pivotal part in the rise of the European outdoor community, as a founder and long-time president of the European Outdoor Group (EOG). More in the next issue of our Outdoor Industry Compass.

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