VF Corp. named president and chief operating officer Steven Rendle as the company’s next chief executive officer, effective Jan. 1.
Rendle, 57, will succeed current ceo Eric Wiseman, who is staying on as the executive chairman of the board of directors. Wiseman has been with VF for over 20 years and served as ceo for the past nine years.
“Steve is the right person to serve as VF’s next ceo as we begin our 118th year of business,” said Wiseman, 60. “As you’d expect of VF, and with full credit to our board of directors, we have a long-standing, rigorous and successful approach to succession planning. We’ve been working since 2008 to identify and prepare the right person to succeed me when the time comes. That time is now.”
Rendle has overseen all of VF’s business coalitions worldwide: outdoor and action sports, jeanswear, imagewear and sportswear. He’s been responsible for VF’s global Supply Chain and Direct-to-Consumer platforms. He has been a member of VF’s board since June 2015.
Rendle has a degree in kinesiology from the University of Washington. He serves on the board of Advanced Functional Fabrics of America, Inc., which works to enable a manufacturing-based approach to transforming traditional fibers, yarns and fabrics into sophisticated, integrated and networked devices and systems. He’s also a founding board member of the Outdoor Industry Association’s Outdoor Foundation.
VF has a track record of identifying potential ceo candidates several years ahead of when they will take on the role. Wiseman himself followed that track before eventually succeeding then-ceo Mackay McDonald, who retired as VF’s chairman in 2008.