Dakine Names New CEO

Dakine will announce this morning that it has a new CEO.

Ken Meidell previously held executive positions at Outdoor Research and Cascade Designs, and also worked at technology and consulting firms such as Ernst & Young and Blue Martini.

Meidell replaces Leslie Lane, who left the company after moving to a new job as President of the U.S. and Americas at Dr. Martens, a division of Airwair International Ltd.

Dakine has gone through many changes over the past decade including being acquired and sold by Billabong, and then being acquired by new owner Altamont Capital Partners in 2013.

What appealed to you about the Dakine job?

Dakine CEO Ken Meidell: The appeal is both personal and professional. I grew up skateboarding in the 70’s, got into mountain biking in the 80’s and then moved to Huntington Beach a few years out of college in the 90’s. I surfed a bit there, got into snowboarding at Big Bear, and generally started to spend most of my free time outdoors.

I’ve been a fan of the brand for a long time and although I had a pretty good gig at Outdoor Research, the chance to join the team in Hood River was just too good to pass up.

How do you see Dakine evolving over the next few years?

Ken Meidell: What won’t change is building great products – that will always be at the core. When I look at Dakine’s product line over the years, I appreciate the focus on products that are useful and relevant – things that speak to all the people who find their physical and creative outlets through experiencing the waves and the mountains, on water, dirt or cement. Wherever that takes our customer, that’s where we will be.

Dakine has had some operational bumps during the various acquisitions. Are those problems resolved? Are there any big infrastructure challenges to tackle?

Ken Meidell: Dakine has been through numerous changes over the past few years, and with all change there can be adjustments and opportunities as a result. When looking at a company it’s always useful to focus on the product and the brand. Both are incredibly strong here.

The operational infrastructure is currently very solid as a result of hard work prior to my arrival. The exciting part about a growing business like Dakine though is that you never stop changing. There will always be processes to improve and ways to do things better.

I’m inspired by how our team athletes and the people who use our products see what’s possible in pursuit of their sport. We owe it to them to operate our business in the same way, pushing through existing boundaries into what comes next.

Any other new projects on your agenda for the new future?

Ken Meidell: Always! Right now the focus for me is on learning as much as I can about the people, the history, the culture and the brand. I’ve always felt that one of the best things a new leader can do early on is listen and really understand what’s going on.

I do have some ideas of course, but the team here is very smart and very capable and I want to take some time to hear what they have to say.

It’s also always been important to me to hear directly from the customer, both trade and end-user. So I expect to be out in the field a fair bit. I am looking forward to revisiting some of the locations responsible for incubating the action sport culture that is the foundation of Dakine.

How did the challenging winter season impact Dakine? What does that mean for the upcoming snow season?

Ken Meidell: Challenging winters are likely here to stay. Our goal is to serve our customers with great products for whatever opportunities present themselves.