New Blood At The North Face® As Oliver Lang Appointed Product VP EMEA

The North Face®, the world’s premier supplier of authentic, innovative and technically advanced outdoor apparel, equipment and footwear, announces Oliver LANG as the newly-appointed VP Product The North Face® EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) continuing the stream of successive hiring and promotions, at local and HQ levels.
As VP Product The North Face® EMEA, LANG will be responsible for product development within EMEA region, reporting directly to Timo SCHMIDT-EISENHART VP/General Manager The North Face® EMEA. Upon LANG’s appointment, SCHMIDT-EISENHART remarked: “With Oliver’s solid product and retail experience, he will be a key driver for our future success in meeting our end consumer needs. He will take it to the next level leading the brand forward with breakthrough innovation, authentic core consumer key focus, whilst continuing to fine-tune quality superior protection.”
Based in VF International’s corporate headquarters in Lugano, Switzerland, LANG heads up a well-established team of development, category and product managers. With the mandate to set seasonal direction, LANG will develop The North Face® to meet the needs of target consumers and market requirements in terms of price, distribution and brand positioning within the EMEA region.
“After 12 years working for Germany’s largest sport department chain and 11 years with the world`s largest sports retailer, I am very excited and pleased to join The North Face® to further strengthen the product portfolio and make The North Face® the world`s leading outdoor brand in all categories.” states LANG.
A seasoned industry player, German-born LANG joins The North Face® directly from an eleven-year-long career at IIC in Bern having successfully managed the Business Unit Apparel. Amongst his roles, LANG was responsible for the development of exclusive and strategic brands for eight years; with, more recently, three-year stint spent on the development of Intersport EB`s and supervising Asian sourcing. LANG has also worked at Karstad Sports HQ in Essen for 12 years, experiencing numerous retail positions including Head of Buying.
LANG’s appointment marks a series of promotions and new additions to The North Face as the company drives to build a stronghold of top management and industry talent at all departmental levels. Recent promotions include Eric PANSIER, appointed VP Marketing The North Face® EMEA. PANSIER joined The North Face EMEA team in 2008 after having gained more than ten years of experience in international brand management, product innovation and communication at Unilever. Over the last three years, PANSIER has been a key driver in developing and executing successful marketing and brand stories.
Also of note, Arne ARENS has been promoted to VP Sales The North Face EMEA. ARENS joined The North Face® in 2010. Previously, he spent eight years at Nike Inc. holding strategic key sales and marketing roles, gaining remarkable regional experience, showing strong track records in delivering sales growth, enabling him to be a key contributor in setting up The North Face’s commercial strategy.