VF Corp names Nicole Otto global brand president of The North Face

By

Benjamin Fitzgerald

Published
Jan 12, 2022

VF Corp announced on Tuesday the appointment of Nicole Otto to the role of global brand president for outdoorwear brand, The North Face.

The Denver, Colorado-based VF Corp, which also operates brands Vans, Timberland and Dickies, said Otto will assume the top role at The North Face in June 2022, ​succeeding Steve Murray, who is retiring and returning to the UK. 

A 16-year Nike veteran, Otto joins The North Face from the U.S. sportswear giant, where she most recently served as vice president of Nike direct North America from 2018 through May 2021. In this role, she oversaw Nike’s digital experiences and full fleet of inline and factory stores throughout the North America region. 

Likewise, Otto was responsible for integrating the company’s physical and digital retail ecosystem to deliver online-to-offline services and experiences to consumers. Under her leadership, Nike launched new flagship and Nike Live experiences in New York City and Los Angeles and began its expansion of owned retail across the U.S.

Before joining Nike’s North America team, she held several regional and global leadership roles within the company’s digital business, served as vice president & general manager of digital commerce in EMEA, during which time she led the launch of the Nike app and the SNKRS app. She previously served as vice president & general manager of Nike.com global store, vice president of global digital commerce operations, and vice president of consumer digital tech. Otto began her career at Nike in 2005 after working in Information Technology at Charles Schwab in San Francisco.

At The North Face, Otto will report to ​VF chairman, president and CEO, Steve Rendle, and serve on VF’s executive leadership team.

"Nicole is the right leader who brings the right capabilities to The North Face brand at the right time,” said Rendle.

“Her global industry experience and deep understanding of consumer engagement strategies – through both physical retail and digital commerce – make her ideally suited to take the helm of this iconic brand and accelerate growth through even more compelling direct connections with consumers worldwide. Nicole is a proven innovator and future-focused leader who will further strengthen The North Face brand’s exceptional global executive team."

Otto’s appointment is part of VF’s succession plan in response to Steve Murray’s planned retirement in 2022. Murray was appointed global brand president, The North Face, in September 2020.