Outdoor brand Odlo appoints Knut Are Høgberg as CEO

By

Olivier Guyot

Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
Jul 20, 2018

Changeover at the top for outdoor brand Odlo, originally founded in Norway and now based in Hünenberg, Switzerland. Christophe Bézu, who joined Odlo in 2015 and led the brand’s makeover, putting more focus on product innovation, has handed over the reins to Knut Are Høgberg. The latter, Odlo’s Deputy General Manager and COO since 2015, has now been promoted to the post of CEO.

Høgberg worked for about ten years at the Boston Consulting Group, from 1996, and then opted for a hands-on career in industry, becoming the CFO of Helly Hansen, another Norwegian outdoor brand. In 2013, he was appointed Chief Operating Officer and Global Retail Director at Helly Hansen, before joining Odlo two years later.

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Christophe Bézu is stepping away from day-to-day operations, but remains a board member of Odlo Sports Holding AG, the holding company behind the Odlo brand. Last year, Bézu told FashionNetwork.com that Odlo, owned by Norwegian investment fund Herkules, had reached an annual revenue of €125 million, and is targeting €200 million by the end of 2020.