Quiksilver parent Boardriders announces new CEO

Action sports and lifestyle group Boardriders, whose portfolio includes brands Quiksilver, Billabong and DC Shoes, has named former North Face and Nike veteran Arne Arens as its new CEO, effective 1 March.

Arens has spent the past ten years at VF Corporation, most recently as global brand president of The North Face. Prior to that, he spent eight years at Nike where he held several marketing and commercial roles and steered the company’s football business in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

He succeeds current CEO Dave Tanner who has been at the helm of the group since 2015 and led the restructuring and turnaround of Boardriders’ predecessor company Quiksilver as well as its merger with competitor Billabong in 2018.

Tanner will remain on the company’s board of directors.

“I am thrilled to be joining Boardriders not only for the opportunity to lead its portfolio of world-class brands in their next phase of growth, but also to work with its amazing and talented global team,” incoming CEO Arens said in a statement.

“As a former athlete and avid boardrider myself, I appreciate the passionate communities, culture, and lifestyle our brands represent. And as an experienced action sports executive, I know this industry, its people, and markets and am certain the best is yet to come for our brands.”

Photo credit: Quiksilver, Facebook