Outdoor Voices taps Urban Outfitters president as new CEO

US activewear brand Outdoor Voices has tapped Urban Outfitters president Gabrielle Conforti as its new CEO.

In her new position, Conforti is tasked with building on the company's current momentum, having recently become profitable, as well as focusing on creating “exciting new products for customers, doubling down on the brand's Recreationalist community, and architecting the future vision for Outdoor Voices”.

“I am thrilled to be joining the Outdoor Voices team. I have always connected with the brand and believe in the strength of the company mission: to be happy, enjoy life, and get moving,” said Conforti in a statement. “I look forward to building on this solid foundation with focus on our community, the product, and the journey of the brand.”

New CEO at Outdoor Voices

Conforti has more than 15 years of retail and apparel industry experience in brand, merchandising, and consumer building, and spent the past six years at Urban Outfitters, where she held senior management roles including chief merchandising officer and president.

In those positions, she led the development and execution of brand strategies and businesses, and helped launch and revitalize new category businesses such as home, beauty, wellness and active from incubation to customer-facing.

Prior to Urban Outfitters, Conforti worked at J.Crew where she oversaw merchandising and buying across multiple categories.

Outdoor Voiceschairman Ashley Merrill said: “This is an exciting new chapter for Outdoor Voices and we are confident that Gabrielle is the right leader to accelerate the company's growth and continue the positive trajectory. She is a passionate, innovative and experienced executive and the perfect person to take Outdoor Voices to the next level.”

This comes after Outdoor Voices founder and former CEO Tyler Haney stepped down from her position at the helm of the company last year to take on a creative position at the business.

Image: Outdoor Voices, Facebook