Crocs appoints SVP of global merchandising

Crocs has appointed footwear industry and product merchant leader Michelle Poole as SVP of global merchandising, a newly created role, reporting directly to president Andrew Rees.



Poole, who starts her new role Aug. 25, will be based out of the Product Creation and Global Shared Services Center in Niwot, Colorado.



"We are excited to welcome such an experienced and dynamic footwear leader to the Crocs management team," said Rees. "We look forward to Michelle's influence on our future product lines, as she helps us develop and execute more powerful and cohesive global brand stories to delight consumers worldwide."



Poole has more than 20 years of experience developing leading global fashion and lifestyle brands. Prior to joining Crocs, Poole spent five years at Sperry Top-Sider, where she was most recently the company's SVP of product. In this role, Poole was responsible for the creation and implementation of the global product strategy and led several key initiatives, including the launch of a year-round women's business and collaborated on the launch of specialty retail stores and sperrytopsider.com. Poole's footwear industry experience also includes brand-building roles at Timberland and Converse.



Poole received her bachelor's degree in fashion marketing from the University of Northumbria.



"I'm looking forward to joining the energetic and fun team at Crocs," said Poole. "The brand already has an iconic legacy with its core products and a powerful connection to consumers, and I'm excited to help build on this success."