Jon Ram, president of global activewear for HanesBrands, has resigned to become chief executive officer of Clarks.
HanesBrands said Tuesday that Ram would exit the Winston-Salem, N.C.-based company on March 31 and it will conduct a search for a successor both internally and externally. Shortly after, Clarks revealed that he would be joining the footwear company in April. He will be based in Boston.
Colin Li, chairman of Clarks, said: “I am pleased to welcome Jon to Clarks as our new CEO. He brings significant global experience and understanding of the footwear and apparel market. In the last year, Clarks has implemented a focused turnaround strategy designed to protect the future of the business, and to build a foundation for sustainable growth in the years ahead. This has resulted in an improved financial position. With the appointment of Jon as CEO, we now look forward to a new phase where we will focus on growing our business in current and new markets and channels, and Jon will take a leading role in taking Clarks to the next level.”
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Ram commented: “Clarks is an iconic brand with a rich history in shoe-making craftsmanship, expertise and sustainability. It is truly an honor to be given the opportunity to lead the Clarks business and work with such a talented team. Significant progress has been made in the last year and my focus is on taking the company to the next level of growth and success. We have a lot to do, and I am excited to begin the journey.”
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Ram, who was born and raised in Montreal, joined HanesBrands in 2018 from New Balance Athletics and primarily oversees the company’s Champion brand. Before joining HanesBrands, Ram spent 16 years with New Balance and held positions including executive vice president of North America, as well as vice president/managing director roles in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Mexico.
Ram also worked for Roots Ltd., the National Basketball Association Entertainment Inc., Richemont Apparel Corp., the National Hockey League Players’ Association and Major League Baseball Properties Inc.
“I want to thank Jon for everything he has done to build our global Champion business since joining the company in 2018, and I wish him all the best in his new role,” said Steve Bratspies, CEO of HanesBrands. “Jon has helped get us off to a strong start in growing Champion as part of our ‘full potential’ plan. We have an outstanding team in place, and I am confident that we will continue to deliver strong growth in this iconic brand as we execute our plan and reach our ‘full potential’ targets.”
In the fourth quarter ended Jan. 1, the Champion brand posted a 10 percent sales gain against 2020 and a 21 percent jump as compared to the same period in 2019’s fourth quarter. Total activewear sales increased 11.4 percent, or $46 million, during the quarter, year-over-year, and were up 19 percent, or $73 million, compared with 2019’s pre-pandemic fourth quarter. For the full year, activewear sales rose nearly 42 percent to nearly $1.7 billion.
In addition to Champion, HanesBrands manufactures a large number of underwear and innerwear brands including Hanes, Bonds, Bali, Maidenform, Playtex, Bras N Things, Wonderbra, Gear for Sports and others.
Clarks was founded in 1825 and is based in Somerset, England. It now operates in more than 100 markets.