Columbia Sportswear announces resignation of Prana CEO

Columbia Sportswear has announced that Scott Kerslake, CEO of the company’s Prana brand, intends to resign his position, effective August 18, in order to assume another leadership position "in an adjacent industry."

While the search for a successor continues, Prana will be piloted by the yogawear brand's current Chief Financial Officer Mike Pogue and Vice President of Marketing Nancy Dynan, who will assume interim leadership responsibilities at the firm's Carlsbad, California headquarters. The pair will report to Doug Morse, Columbia’s Senior Vice President of Emerging Brands & APAC.

Kerslake joined Prana as CEO in 2009 and set in a motion a strategy that saw the brand hit sales levels of $100 million in 2014, back when Columbia Sportswear acquired the brand.

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Since then, Prana sales have grown nearly 50 per cent, driven by a team centred on delivering a leading activewear brand with a focus on sustainability and community.

Tim Boyle, Columbia Sportswear's chief executive officer said, “Scott has led Prana through a tremendous period of growth and created a solid brand platform and a strong team with tremendous potential. In addition, he has been an active member and positive influence within Columbia’s corporate leadership team. All of us at Columbia have benefited from the opportunity to work alongside Scott for the past three years and have great confidence that he will also be successful in his next endeavour.”