Swiftwick announces Mark Chou as new CEO, welcomes two new board members

November 15, 2023

Former Away executive Mark Chou is joined by new board members Jimmy Leach, former TOMS executive, and K.P. McNeill of Imogene + Willie as Swiftwick expands leadership team

NASHVILLE, TN, Nov. 15, 2023 /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – Swiftwick, the made-in-USA performance sock brand, is pleased to announce the hiring of former Away executive Mark Chou as CEO, along with the appointment of new board members Jimmy Leach, former VP of International Sales at TOMS and K.P. McNeill, CEO of Imogene + Willie and co-founder and former CEO of Billy Reid. These new additions to Swiftwick’s leadership come as the company has raised new capital to continue scaling the business, now in its 15th year.

Chou joins Swiftwick after nearly four years as the Founder and Managing Partner of Bradhurst Ventures, a consultancy providing fractional COO/CMO services to consumer brands. Prior to Bradhurst, Chou served in multiple executive roles at luggage brand Away, where he joined as the third employee and helped profitably scale the company from launch to $150+ million in annual revenue in less than three years. Chou brings over a dozen years of experience in consumer / retail, venture capital, and investment banking to Swiftwick.

“I am thrilled to be joining a company with such a strong reputation for quality and that is operating profitably – both of which are tributes to the company’s prior leadership,” Swiftwick’s new CEO Mark Chou said. “I look forward to partnering with the board and our executive team in leading the company in this exciting new stage. I would also like to welcome our new creative director Christian Davies, who brings to Swiftwick over two decades of experience at iconic brands such as Adidas and Nike.”

Chou is joined by new board members Jimmy Leach and K.P. McNeill as part of the expanding Swiftwick team.

“We were first introduced to Mark earlier this year and were excited to learn that he was about to move from New York City to join the Nashville entrepreneurial community,” board members K.P. McNeill and Jimmy Leach noted. “When we began the search for a new CEO, we hoped to find a leader who was familiar with the challenges of scaling consumer brands and experienced in building company culture. Mark was a shoe-in for the role, and we’re excited to have him on board to lead Swiftwick through its next chapter.”

McNeill and Leach come to Swiftwick with deep consumer experience. McNeill restructured Nashville-based Imogene + Willie and set the company on track to experience ten-fold growth in a five-year period, while Leach launched TOMS in markets across Asia, Latin America and Europe. “We’re lucky to have such experienced brand operators on the team as we embark on a new stage of growth here at Swiftwick,” board chairman Jay Chawan shared.

Swiftwick’s socks boast a remarkable track record, having been worn by Olympic gold medalists, Tour de France cyclists, and a Masters champion, as well as conquering marathons on all seven continents. The brand has secured awards and press placements from publications such as Runner’s World, Bicycling Magazine, Outside Magazine, Esquire, and more.

“There are many brands that offer performance socks, but few have an exclusively ‘made in USA’ heritage like Swiftwick,” board member Joe Maxwell said. “Mark, Jimmy, and K.P. are great minds in this industry, and we’re thrilled to have them join the Swiftwick family to tell this heritage story.”

The company will be in attendance at The Running Event in Austin, TX from November 28-30 and exhibiting at booth 1343.

About Swiftwick

Founded in 2008, Swiftwick designs, engineers, and builds technical socks for athletic performance. Delivering superior moisture-wicking, compression and contoured fit, we primarily serve the running and cycling communities with products that are engineered to endure. Swiftwick is proudly based in Tennessee, manufactured in the USA, and worn the world over. For information on Swiftwick, visit swiftwick.com.

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