Crocs announced Friday that footwear veteran Michelle Poole would be joining its team as senior vice president of global merchandising. In the newly created role, Poole will be leading the strategy and management of the Global Merchandising Organization at Crocs. She will report directly to Crocs president Andrew Rees beginning Aug. 25.
Prior to Crocs, Poole spent five years at Sperry Top-Sider. As senior vice president of product at the lifestyle brand, Poole was responsible for the creation and implementation of the global strategy and led several initiatives, including the launch of Sperry’s year-round women’s business and the opening of specialty retail stores and sperrytopsider.com. Poole has also held brand-building roles at Converse and Timberland.
Rees said, “We are excited to welcome such an experienced and dynamic footwear leader to the Crocs management team,” adding that, “We look forward to Michelle’s influence on our future product lines, as she helps us develop and execute more powerful and cohesive global brand stories to delight consumers worldwide.”
Last month, after disappointing second-quarter earnings, Crocs announced it would strategically downsize many aspects of its business, including reduce its number of stores, SKUs and cut jobs, in order to focus on larger markets and international wholesalers.