Key Takeaways:
- Kontoor Brands has named C.J. King General Manager of Helly Hansen North America Sport, effective August 31.
- King spent 10 years at Arc’teryx, most recently as VP Global Commercial.
- The hire comes as Kontoor works to grow Helly Hansen in the U.S., though at least one analyst remains skeptical.
Kontoor Brands, Inc. has hired C.J. King, a longtime Arc’teryx executive, to lead Helly Hansen’s North America Sport business.
The company announced Thursday that King will join as General Manager, Helly Hansen, North America, Sport, effective August 31.
King will be responsible for leading all aspects of Helly Hansen’s North America Sport business, including commercial strategy and marketplace execution, the company said. He joins Helly Hansen’s leadership team and will report to Børre Hegbom, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Helly Hansen.
“We are thrilled to welcome C.J. King to Helly Hansen,” Hegbom said in a statement. “C.J. brings a proven ability to lead high-performing commercial organizations, build deep connections with technical outdoor consumers and translate premium brand strength into sustainable growth. His experience will be instrumental as we strengthen Helly Hansen’s position in the U.S., the world’s largest outdoor market. We are excited to partner with him as we unlock the next chapter of growth for Helly Hansen.”
King joins Helly Hansen from Arc’teryx, a global design company known for technical high-performance apparel and equipment. Over 10 years at the brand, he held the roles of VP North American Wholesale, VP/GM North America and VP Global Commercial, leading its wholesale and retail channels in North America and helping advance its global commercial and omnichannel strategy.
Arc’teryx is currently one of the top-performing brands in the outdoor market. Parent company Amer Sports’s Technical Apparel division, led by Arc’teryx, grew revenue 32% to $674 million in the second quarter of 2026, and the brand is entering Dick’s Sporting Goods for the first time this fall, with 15 House of Sport locations carrying Arc’teryx in shop-in-shop formats.
King has also held senior roles at outdoor and sport performance brands including Smartwool, PEARL iZUMi and The North Face.
Background on Helly Hansen Deal
Kontoor completed its acquisition of Helly Hansen in the second quarter of 2025, buying the Oslo-based brand from Canadian Tire Corporation for CAD 1.276 billion, or about $897 million. Canadian Tire had owned Helly Hansen since 2018, when it acquired the brand from the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Fund for CAD $985 million.
Kontoor CEO Scott Baxter, who oversaw The North Face and other outdoor brands during an earlier stint at VF Corp., has said the U.S. is Helly Hansen’s biggest growth opportunity given how small the brand’s American business is relative to its European operations. Plans laid out by Kontoor executives include expanding wholesale relationships, opening more stores, tapping into Kontoor’s digital direct-to-consumer platform and pushing into new product categories.
Analyst Skepticism
Not every observer is convinced Kontoor can pull off its Helly Hansen ambitions. Laurent Vasilescu, senior analyst at BNP Paribas Equity Research, has raised questions about the consistency of Kontoor’s disclosures around Helly Hansen’s growth and has pointed out that the brand was previously carried and then dropped by Dick’s Sporting Goods after failing to gain traction.
“We hope (Kontoor) explains next week why they think the brand can work this time,” Vasilescu wrote in a note to clients, referring to a Helly Hansen investor day Kontoor is set to host in Oslo.
