Gander Mountain announces executive promotions

Sporting goods retailer Gander Mountain has installed a new president to lead the company through its next phase of growth.



The company announced that Derek Siddons, executive VP and COO, will assume the role of president on the retirement of current president Michael J. Owens on Oct. 31.



Siddons has been responsible for the company’s operations, marketing and merchandising functions across all channels of the organization, including retail and direct. Siddons has been with Gander Mountain since 2009 and held roles of increasing responsibility, including director of retail operations, vice president e-commerce, senior VP of operations and e-commerce and executive VP-COO, operations, marketing, e-commerce and merchandising.



“Derek’s commitment to strong processes, driving results through people, and dedication to achieving goals will continue to lead Gander Mountain to success,” said David Pratt, Gander Mountain’s chairman and CEO. “It will be a great privilege to work with our tremendous associates to build on our many successes, continue our growth, and continue to bring our customers the best products, service and value in the outdoor industry across all channels.”



In addition, Gander Mountain announced the promotion of three senior leaders effective Oct. 31.



Jay Tibbets, senior vice president, has been promoted to executive VP-COO with responsibility for merchandising, planning, and supply chain across all channels.



Lisa Schmidt, executive VP-retail store design, has been promoted to executive VP–store operations, store design and development with responsibility for retail store operations, visual merchandising, and store design.



Eric R. Jacobsen, executive VP and general counsel, has been promoted to chief administrative officer and general counsel with responsibility for cost center optimization, real estate site selection, financing and leasing, legal and regulatory affairs, and risk management.



The company also announced the hiring of two new key senior executives.



Brian D. Kohlbeck has joined the company as senior VP and CFO to succeed Robert J. Vold who is retiring in early November. Kohlbeck will be responsible for all aspects of financial and business reporting, financial planning, budgeting and forecasting, audit and treasury, business analysis, and capital allocation, and will play a key role in strategic planning.



Kohlbeck joins Gander Mountain from Lands’ End where he served as VP-business finance responsible for overall financial management of that firm’s online and retail businesses, playing a key role in the successful spin-off from Sears Holdings. Prior to that, Kohlbeck served 10 years in roles of increasing responsibility in finance at Best Buy.



In addition, Carissa Rollins has been hired as senior VP-CIO and will oversee all aspects of the company’s technology and information systems, omnichannel initiatives, cyber-security, and enterprise data and business analytics. Rollins comes from Kohl’s Corp., where for the past five years she served in roles of increasing responsibility in the information technology department.



“We have transformed Gander Mountain over the past six years to become the nation’s largest and fastest-growing outdoor retailer. I’m very excited to continue working with this talented team of professionals and our tremendous associates to implement our strategic plans and set the standards in our industry across all channels,” Pratt said.