Cecilia Bel
Jun 7, 2023
Columbia's Sorel brand president completes the transition.
Columbia Sportswear, an American outdoor apparel group, said that Mark Nenow, the president of its brand Sorel, stepped down due to health reasons.
Mark Nenow has been with the company for 16 years and has led the Sorel brand to achieve steady growth, with net sales of $347 million in 2022. Nenow joined the company in 2007 and is responsible for its footwear division. In the years that followed, he worked hard to grow the Sorel brand from a specialist men's winter work boot to a more stylish, all-season full-line brand. Eight years later, he assumed the top leadership role and focused on the functionality of Sorel's boots, sandals, sneakers, and other footwear.
In 2015, under Nenow's helm, the Sorel Capsule Apparel collection—coats and jackets for men and women—debuted, and many of the features found on shoes, such as heavy-duty buckles and triple-stitched seams, were adapted to the clothing line. Recently, Sorel's headquarters moved into a separate building on Columbia's main corporate campus in Washington County, Oregon.
On the 2022 conference call, Columbia Chairman, President, and CEO Tim Boyle singled out the Sorel brand, saying its sneakers and wedges "contributed to the phenomenal demand and brand buzz" and that it would plan for deeper investment in product and demand creation to propel Sorel into a "billion dollar" brand.
Columbia is still looking for Mark Nenow's successor, and another executive within the company, Craig Zanon, senior vice president of emerging brands, has taken over his duties.
