US' VF appoints Nicole Otto as The North Face's global brand president

Otto most recently served as vice president of Nike Direct North America from 2018 through May 2021. In this role, she oversaw Nike’s digital experiences and full fleet of inline and factory stores throughout the North America region. Otto was responsible for integrating the company’s physical and digital retail ecosystem to deliver online-to-offline services and experiences that forge deep connections with consumers. Under her leadership, Nike launched new flagship and Nike Live experiences in New York City and Los Angeles and began its expansion of owned retail across the US, the company said in a press release.

With her deep digital experience, Otto was also a key architect of Nike’s digital consumer-facing technology platforms during the past decade. Before joining Nike’s North America team, she held several regional and global leadership roles within the company’s digital business. She served as vice president and general manager of digital commerce in EMEA, during which time she led the launch of the Nike app and the SNKRS app.

“Otto is the right leader who brings the right capabilities to The North Face brand at the right time. Her global industry experience and deep understanding of consumer engagement strategies – through both physical retail and digital commerce – make her ideally suited to take the helm of this iconic brand and accelerate growth through even more compelling direct connections with consumers worldwide. Otto is a proven innovator and future-focused leader who will further strengthen The North Face brand’s exceptional global executive team. We’re excited to welcome her to the VF family,” Rendle said.

“Few brands in the world have earned truly iconic status like The North Face® and I couldn’t be more excited to be joining the brand at this time. I look forward to working closely with The North Face leadership team in addition to VF leadership to drive the next phase of growth for this beloved global brand and all that it represents,” Otto said.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (GK)