Mike Jensen, who has led DC Shoes since 2016, is taking a new job as the President of Reef.
Reef is under new ownership after VF Corp. sold the company to The Rockport Group in October.
The Rockport Group is based in the greater Boston area, and includes the comfort brands Rockport, Aravon and Dunham.
Mike has worked closely with DC Co-Founder Damon Way at DC, and there have been positive signs building at the brand. From what I hear, Dan Levine, Chief Brand Officer at Boardriders, will lead DC on an interim basis while they search for a new DC President.
Before joining DC, Mike worked at Asics for almost five years. Prior to that, he worked at Spy Optics, DC, and Converse.
His background is in sales, product and merchandising. At Asics, he had a GM role for the lifestyle division in America, and was responsible for product, sales and marketing.
Previously, Rockport has said Reef will operate independently and remain headquartered in Carlsbad. Former Reef President Roger Spatz, who was also President of VF-owned Eagle Creek, is staying with VF and will eventually move to Denver as VF consolidates several brands in the city.
As previously reported on SES, Rockport paid $139.4 million in cash for Reef, according to a VF quarterly report.
Here’s the official press release:
REEF APPOINTS MIKE JENSEN AS PRESIDENT
Carlsbad, CA – January 29, 2019 – REEF, a leading premium surf lifestyle brand today announced that it has appointed Mike Jensen as President.
Jensen most recently served as General Manager and Head of Brand of DC Shoes, a division of Boardriders, where he led the product and marketing transformation which centered on the brand’s unique and distinctive positioning. Jensen is a successful leader with a wealth of experience and a proven track record in product, sales, and brand development. He has a long history working with leading brands across action sports and lifestyle footwear, such as DC Shoes, ASICS, SPY, Inc. and Converse.
In his new role, Jensen will report directly to Gregg Ribatt, CEO. Mr. Ribatt said, “We are thrilled to have Mike join REEF as President as we build on our leadership position in the marketplace, a powerful brand strategy, a very talented team and a focus on driving high quality, sustainable growth in the future.”
“I have been a big fan of the REEF brand for a long time. The brand has a long and powerful history and is extremely well positioned in the marketplace. The opportunities ahead for REEF are tremendous and I look forward to working with the team and our customers to unlock the brand’s full potential”, said Jensen. Mr. Jensen’s tenure officially begins in February.
About REEF
REEF is a division of the Reef Lifestyle Company, Inc., a portfolio company of certain affiliates of Charlesbank Capital Partners, LLC. The REEF brand was founded in 1984 with the goal of sharing the love of surf and beach culture around the globe. Today the global footwear and apparel brand is focused on connecting with consumers by uniting the world around the fun, freedom, and spirit of the beach. REEF is also an affiliate of the Rockport Company, a leading men’s and women’s global footwear brand based in Newton, MA. For more information, visit www.reef.com
About Charlesbank Capital Partners
Based in Boston and New York, Charlesbank Capital Partners is a middle-market private equity investment firm managing more than $5 billion of capital. Charlesbank focuses on management-led buyouts and growth capital financings and also engages in opportunistic credit investments. The firm seeks to partner with strong management teams to build companies with sustainable competitive advantage and excellent prospects for growth. For more information, please visit www.charlesbank.com.
