Dive Brief:
- U.K.-based fitness apparel brand Gymshark has named Kim Dolder its chief commercial officer, according to a press release emailed to Retail Dive. Dolder has served as the brand’s general manager of North America for about 10 months and will continue to lead its U.S. office in her new role, based in New York City.
- Dolder replaces Niran Chana, who left the company in 2023 after about eight years. Dolder now reports directly to Ben Francis, Gymshark founder and CEO.
- Before joining Gymshark, Dolder held leadership positions with Abercrombie & Fitch, Outdoor Voices, Under Armour and Target, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Dive Insight:
Gymshark has been refreshing its leadership as it works to expand its selling channels.
Last year, at the same time as Dolder’s appointment as general manager of North America, Gymshark hired former Adidas executive Hannah Mercer as general manager of retail and wholesale, both new positions. The brand also hired Carly Natalizia as chief digital officer and Laurent Madeleine as chief supply chain officer.
Dolder’s appointment is intended to help the company strengthen its omnichannel and global ties, the company said. In Dolder’s new role, her responsibilities are to create “the architecture to introduce new products, scale new channels and drive revenues,” per the company.
“Kim is our first Chief based in the U.S., so this serves as a real sign of intent of our global ambitions,” Francis said in a statement. “Since joining, she has already added so much value to our North American operations and her experience, insight and sheer will to win will definitely take Gymshark to new heights.”
Gymshark opened a pop-up shop last November in New York, testing the retail waters in the U.S. The company confirmed that it will open its first permanent store in North America later this year, a 13,000-square-foot location at 11 Bond Street in Manhattan.