Zoot Sports Charges Ahead Adding to its Leadership Team
OutdoorHub 03.19.13
Zoot Sports, a global leader in endurance sports and makers of performance apparel, wetzoots, footwear and accessories, named Erik Vervloet as its vice president and general manager.
Vervloet, who has worked as vice president of sports marketing for K-Swiss and most recently as chief marketing officer for the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), brings a decade of leadership experience and marketing expertise to the Zoot Sports team.
“Zoot is an incredibly important part of the K2 Sports portfolio and our overall growth objectives,” said Anthony De Rocco, president and CEO, K2 Sports. “As we invest further in Zoot it is imperative to have the best leadership in place, and Erik is just that. He brings enthusiasm and a breadth of experience in the sports market and understands our vision on where the Zoot brand needs to go,” he said.
Vervloet is well respected in the triathlon and endurance sports communities both through the successful launch of the running category at K-Swiss and also for his work with the WTC, the entity behind Ironman, Ironman 70.3, 5150 Triathlon Series, Iron Girl and IronKids brands. In his recent post at the World Triathlon Corporation as CMO, Vervloet was responsible for driving global sales through management of all public facing initiatives including merchandising, branding, social media, national media relations and production, licensing and sponsorship.
Zoot Sports, distributed across 22 countries, is known for the introduction of the first triathlon-specific footwear line. The brand itself was founded in Kona and has a rich triathlon heritage, earning the respect and trust of triathletes globally as the go-to race day partner. With Vervloet on-board, the brand will work to expand their reach beyond race day to support runners, cyclists and swimmers 365 days a year, for training, fitness, racing and recovery.
“I’ve admired the Zoot brand for a long time,” said Vervloet. “So many brands search for authenticity, but with a company like Zoot it’s already inherently there.”
Zoot continues to innovate, bringing new technology and offerings to market, expanding its reach to support a broader range of athletes. In the last year, the company introduced the Boa closure system in the footwear line, made new advancements in compression technology and unveiled the Zoot custom apparel program.
“Triathlon has always driven innovation, I’m excited to take that momentum beyond race day to support athletes across the globe in their everyday training needs,” Vervloet said.
Vervloet is a former professional tennis player, avid athlete and a two-time Ironman finisher.
