Today we’re announcing three senior brand leadership appointments to spearhead product and marketing for our Speedo, ellesse, Mitre, Kickers and Canterbury brands.
Simon Breckon has been appointed Senior Vice President for Speedo, Jack Richardson Senior Vice President for ellesse, Kickers and Mitre and Luke Doddrell Senior Vice President for Canterbury.
Simon joined Pentland Brands from Diageo in 2018 and has led several international brand campaigns including ellesse’s collaboration with Michael Kors, the award-winning ellesse x TikTok campaign and the innovative ellesse x Tomorrowland and Kickers x Roblox partnerships.
Simon has played a pivotal role in globalising ellesse product development and launching the Kickers vegan footwear range. He’s also built successful commercial partnerships with major international markets, including the expansion of the ellesse brand into the US and China and impressive growth for the Mitre brand in the UK and the US.
With Simon moving to Speedo, Jack Richardson will take over to lead product and marketing for the ellesse and Mitre brands globally, as well as Kickers in the UK. Jack has been with Pentland Brands for ten years and his diverse experience has proven invaluable, particularly his multi-brand commercial expertise.
Over the last two years as a Vice President for Canterbury and Teamwear, Jack has successfully turned around the performance of the brand in EMEA, driving both profit improvement and increased sales. His leadership of the product and marketing teams led to notable initiatives such as the navy shorts swap with the Ireland women’s rugby team and the recent launch of Canterbury’s lightest and most advanced rugby boot.
As Jack embarks on his new role, he’ll be transitioning his Canterbury responsibilities to Luke Doddrell. Luke joined us 18 months ago as Canterbury General Manager and Pentland Brands Commercial Director, Asia Pacific. During this time, he’s led the delivery of strong profits for the brand in Australia and New Zealand and set the foundations for sustainable global brand growth in 2024 and beyond. Luke will lead the global business from Canterbury’s authentic heartland in New Zealand.
All three roles start this month and will report to Penny Herriman, Chief Marketing Officer at Pentland Brands.
