Former Under Armour Exec Bob Neville to Head Clarks U.K. and Ireland
LONDON — British footwear brand Clarks has named Bob Neville, formerly of Under Armour, as its managing director for the U.K. and the Republic of Ireland.
Neville is returning to the U.K. from Hong Kong, where he spent the past 30 years in executive roles at Under Armour, New Balance and Adidas. He was most recently global vice president of retail at Under Armour.
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He will take up his role in August and report to Jon Ram, chief executive officer of Clarks.
Neville was born in France and raised in the U.K. He has worked throughout the Asia Pacific region, with a particular focus on China.
Clarks described him as a “true global citizen,” with “business acumen and a proven track record of leading profitable businesses, driving growth in existing markets, and successfully expanding into new territories.”
Ram said Neville will play “a leading role in delivering our strategic goals and growing our business in the U.K. and ROI. He builds great teams and empowers them to create exceptional consumer experiences We will also build out our global retail center of excellence under his leadership.”
Neville said he’s looking forward to getting started, “growing the brand, increasing our retail presence and, most importantly, continuing to deliver the best experience possible” to customers.
As reported in May, Clarks has been raising its fashion profile and has tapped the London designer Martine Rose as its first guest creative director.
“The brand is such an intrinsic part of British culture — and beyond. It resonates with everyone. I’m British Jamaican, and the cultural impact it has in Jamaica is enormous. More important than anything is how comfortable the shoes are, and we really leaned into that,” said Rose, who visited Clarks’ Somerset, England, factories last year to see how the shoes are made.
For her debut, Rose jazzed up three classic Clarks styles — a loafer, an oxford shoe and a sandal. She recast them in snakeskin, tinted them black or burgundy, and showcased them on her London Men’s Fashion Week runway last month.
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