Crocs appoints new president, provides upbeat Q3 guidance

By

Robin Driver

Published
Sep 15, 2020

Colorado-based footwear company Crocs, Inc. has announced the appointment of Michelle Poole as its new president, effective September 10, and offered an optimistic revenue outlook for the third quarter due to strong demand.
 

In her new role, Poole will be responsible for the Crocs regional commercial teams for the Americas, Asia and EMEA, and will also continue to lead the company’s product design and management, merchandising, and marketing teams. As in her previous role, she will report to Crocs CEO Andrew Rees.
 
Most recently, Poole served as Crocs’ EVP and chief product merchandising officer, a role that she has held since April 2020. Prior to this, she served as senior vice president and chief product and merchandising officer at the company from 2014, assuming responsibility for marketing in 2017.

The executive’s more than three decades of industry experience also include time spent in marketing, merchandising and product management roles at brands including Sperry Top-Sider, Timberland, Kangol, Converse, MTV Europe and Pepe Jeans.
 
“Since joining the Crocs team, Michelle has had a profound impact on the trajectory and success of the Crocs business,” said Rees in a release. “As a brand, we have proven resilient in the face of adversity and are emerging from this crisis with renewed confidence and optimism. This change will provide an even more effective and cohesive go-to-market strategy to achieve our long-term brand and commercial goals.”
 
“It is a privilege to lead such a talented team and to act as steward of this incredible global brand," commented Poole. "I could not be more excited by the opportunity to integrate our teams globally, enhance our go-to-market strategy and grow the Crocs brand for years to come.”
 
Ahead of its participation in CL King & Associates' 18th Annual Best Ideas Conference on September 16, Crocs also announced on Friday that it expects revenue growth of approximately 10% in the third quarter and predicted that its business will continue to strengthen in the coming months.
 
According to Rees, this upbeat outlook is a result of the company experiencing “exceptional consumer demand and strong sell throughs,” which mean that Crocs is “emerging from the Covid-19 crisis with tremendous optimism.”