Berghaus restructures to support global growth strategy

28 Jan '11

4 min read

Berghaus has announced a series of changes to its business model, as the brand continues to build towards achieving its global growth objectives. The new model, which will take full shape over the next few months, combines an International Board that will oversee the overall direction of the brand, with dedicated regional business units delivering more effective local solutions in markets around the world.

Berghaus International Board
Over the last few years, the Berghaus business has grown significantly and with new partners on board, has a greater global reach than ever before. To enable the company to both focus on its world-wide ambitions and ensure that it delivers ever more effective solutions to individual regions, Berghaus is introducing an International Board. Led by brand president Richard Cotter, the International Board will include David Kennedy (finance director), Tina Payne (HR director), David Heath (in a new role outlined below), Michael Lockett (vice president Asia) and Richard Leedham (in a new role outlined below) from the current executive team.

In addition, Berghaus is recruiting to a new role of Chief Operating Officer, who will be based in Sunderland and will run the global operations and supply chain functions. The Chief Operating Officer will sit on the Berghaus International Board.

The global management of the brand will continue to be directed from the Berghaus headquarters in Sunderland, led by the International Board. However, other changes to the business will help the company meet its objectives to deliver better local solutions in individual markets.

Regional business solutions
Berghaus is introducing better local solutions for key markets, with the creation of distinct regional business units, managed by dedicated teams, in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia. The EMEA unit will incorporate two individual units, for Europe and the UK.

The EMEA business unit will be directed by Richard Leedham, who has been appointed to the position of vice president EMEA, sitting on the International Board. Richard has been working at Berghaus for 15 years and has most recently fulfilled the role of UK sales director. Richard and his team will work closely with partners in the UK and across Europe. Meanwhile, Matt Kemp has been appointed to the position of UK country manager. Matt will be responsible for the business in the UK, and will support Richard in his role.

Europe is a large and complex region, where Berghaus operates with both a network of distributors and new models for the brand, such as a joint venture in the Nordic area and a subsidiary in Germany. EMEA sales director Simon Roberts will continue to be responsible for driving growth and revenue in the region, and will carry on strengthening his team to deliver the brand's objectives across Europe.

UK marketing
UK specific marketing solutions will be developed and delivered by a dedicated team. Caroline Smith has been promoted to the new role of head of marketing EMEA and will manage all marketing in the UK and Europe. In the UK, Caroline will be supported by trade, consumer and digital marketing specialists. They will be responsible for ensuring that global brand initiatives are delivered in the UK, with local relevance and impact.

The Pentland Group is the owner of the Berghaus brand.

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