Arc’teryx Names Haselden to New CEO Post

Arc’teryx has had a change at the helm.

The upscale outerwear and equipment brand has brought industry veteran Stuart Haselden on board to fill the newly created role of chief executive officer, effective immediately. He assumes the duties of Jon Hoerauf, Arc’teryx’s president, who has decided to leave the company to pursue other opportunities.

The parting was amicable, according to the brand, which is owned by Amer Sports Corp., a Finnish-based sporting goods group that also owns Salomon, Atomic, Suunto, Peak Performance, Wilson and Precor and has sales of more than $2.7 billion. Amer Sports is owned by the China-based Anta Sports Products Ltd., that also owns Fila, Descente and other brands.

“Jon leaves after a distinguished career here, and he leaves a strong legacy at Arc’teryx, having grown sales consistently, and having built a strong organization over his five-year tenure as brand leader,” said James Zheng, board executive director and CEO of Amer Sports. “We want to thank him for his important contributions in building Arc’teryx that have included the expansion of key product lines, important new store innovation, and enabling our international expansion.”

Haselden has more than two decades of experience in retail and vertical direct-to-consumer companies, and his résumé includes Lululemon, J. Crew and Saks Fifth Avenue. Most recently, he served as CEO for travel lifestyle brand Away. He also spent four years in active duty service as an armored cavalry officer in the U.S. Army.

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“Stuart’s rare mix of global brand business leadership and direct-to-consumer expertise will be invaluable as we accelerate Arc’teryx direct-to-consumer strategies and position the brand for long-term success,” Zheng said. “With Stuart’s leadership and deep experience in engineering profitable growth for disruptive vertical brands, I am confident that Arc’teryx can reach the next level and we look forward to his immediate contributions.”

Haselden said, “Arc’teryx is an inspiring brand that represents the pinnacle of design innovation. I’m thrilled to join this talented team to extend their track record of success and build new capabilities to take the business forward.”

Arc’teryx is headquartered in North Vancouver, Canada. Its products are carried in more than 3,000 retail stores around the world, including more than 80 branded stores. Last fall, the company introduced a smaller-concept retail concept in California called Icon with a rollout planned for this year across the U.S. Icon stores are about half the size of the brand’s other units — around 1,000 to 1,500 square feet, compared with 2,500 to 3,000 square feet. As a result of the smaller footprint, the Icon stores carry a pared-down assortment of the brand’s most popular pieces.

In December, Arc’teryx partnered with Jil Sander creative directors Lucie and Luke Meier on a men’s and women’s capsule collection for skiing, snowboarding and mountain sports that will launch in October.

Arc’teryx was founded in 1989 by local climbers in British Columbia and is named after the Archaeopteryx Lithographica, the first reptile to develop feathers for flight. The brand began by creating climbing harnesses and expanded into apparel in 1998.

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