Patagonia Hires Marketing VP from Nike

Patagonia, Inc., the outdoor apparel company, announces the addition of Joy Howard to its senior management team as vice president of marketing, effective September 23, 2013. In her new role, Howard will lead the development and execution of global marketing across all sales channels and communication platforms for Patagonia, as well as for the wider portfolio of Patagonia initiatives in food and media, and new brand extensions.

Howard brings a wealth of relevant marketing experience to Patagonia. In her most-recent role as Nike's vice president of marketing for Converse All Star, she led marketing for the world's largest and most iconic footwear franchise and beloved youth culture brand. Prior to Converse, Howard was based in Zurich, Switzerland, as global marketing director for The Coca-Cola Company's joint venture with Nestle. She began her career in marketing at Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products Company.

"We are thrilled to have Joy join the Patagonia family," notes Casey Sheahan, Patagonia's CEO. "Joy brings a strong connection to creative culture along with a deep commitment to sustainability and to using the power of brands to drive positive change in the world. I'm certain that these qualities combined with her blue-chip marketing background will help us continue to responsibly grow the Patagonia business." 

A Georgia native, Howard has lived and worked across Europe, Asia and Africa and brings extensive experience in both developed and emerging markets. Prior to her career in marketing, Howard was a recording artist with Seely, the first American band signed to the '90s Britpop powerhouse label Too Pure. After hearing Ray Anderson speak and - at his suggestion - reading Paul Hawken's The Ecology of Commerce, she was inspired to pursue her MBA in Sustainable Enterprise from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her work at Chapel Hill was published by the World Resources Institute and featured in The Wall Street Journal. 

Related Articles:
Patagonia Inks Customer Marketing Database Deal
Patagonia Hires New VP of Global E-Commerce
Patagonia Escalates Business with ERP