Jim Gerson Returns as Speedo North America President

Jim Gerson will return as president of Speedo North America, the Pentland Group announced on Thursday.

He was the president of Speedo North America from 2010-2016. Before that, Gerson was president of the surf brand Reef and held senior vice president positions at The North Face and Jantzen swimwear brands.

“It’s a really exciting time to be rejoining team Speedo. Pentland has an outstanding track-record in brand building and growing global sports brands, and that will be instrumental in helping us to grow the Speedo business in North America,” Jim Gerson said in a statement.

Gerson will be responsible for growing the Speedo brand and preparing Speedo North America heading into the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

“We’re thrilled that Jim has agreed to return to lead the Speedo North American team,” Pentland Brands division CEO Andy Long said in a statement. “The completion of the Speedo North America acquisition and the appointment of Jim, during these uncertain times, demonstrates our long-term commitment to the business and our passion for building a truly global brand.”

Pentland bought the Speedo brand earlier this year from PVH.

“We’ve had a great partnership with PVH and they’ve done an incredible job in raising the profile of the Speedo brand and growing the business in North America during their time as licensee,” Long said in January. “… With the Tokyo Games (in 2021), now is the right time to bring Speedo North America back into our brand portfolio. Pentland has a strong track record of investing in people and international brands and we’re looking forward to welcoming the Speedo North America team into the Pentland family and working together on the next chapters in the Speedo success story.”

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