Former Underneath Armour Exec Bob Neville to Head Clarks U.Okay. and Eire

LONDON — British footwear model Clarks has named Bob Neville, previously of Underneath Armour, as its managing director for the U.Okay. and the Republic of Eire.

Neville is returning to the U.Okay. from Hong Kong, the place he spent the previous 30 years in govt roles at Underneath Armour, New Steadiness and Adidas. He was most just lately international vice chairman of retail at Underneath Armour.   

He’ll take up his position in August and report back to Jon Ram, chief govt officer of Clarks.

Neville was born in France and raised within the U.Okay. He has labored all through the Asia Pacific area, with a specific give attention to China.

Clarks described him as a “true international citizen,” with “enterprise acumen and a confirmed observe file of main worthwhile companies, driving development in current markets, and efficiently increasing into new territories.” 

Ram mentioned Neville will play “a number one position in delivering our strategic objectives and rising our enterprise within the U.Okay. and ROI. He builds nice groups and empowers them to create distinctive shopper experiences We may even construct out our international retail heart of excellence underneath his management.” 

Neville mentioned he’s trying ahead to getting began, “rising the model, rising our retail presence and, most significantly, persevering with to ship the perfect expertise potential” to prospects.

As reported in Might, Clarks has been elevating its style profile and has tapped the London designer Martine Rose as its first visitor artistic director.

“The model is such an intrinsic a part of British tradition — and past. It resonates with everybody. I’m British Jamaican, and the cultural affect it has in Jamaica is gigantic. Extra necessary than something is how snug the sneakers are, and we actually leaned into that,” mentioned Rose, who visited Clarks’ Somerset, England, factories final yr to see how the sneakers are made.

For her debut, Rose jazzed up three traditional Clarks kinds — a idler, an oxford shoe and a sandal. She recast them in snakeskin, tinted them black or burgundy, and showcased them on her London Males’s Trend Week runway final month.