Cotopaxi Launches Into Strategic Growth Trajectory With Inspiring New Hires

December 20, 2021

Seven new staffers round out Cotopaxi’s first phase of growth and impact-driven mission

Salt Lake City, UT. (Dec. 20, 2021) /OUTDOOR SPORTSWIRE/ – Outdoor brand and B Corp, Cotopaxi, is proud to announce the addition of seven key staff members to its leadership, signalling the start of a strategic growth direction for the benchmark-setting impact-driven brand.

New to the team as of late 2021, in sequential hiring order, are Eric Turner, Director of Growth Marketing; Julie Bartlett, Chief Legal Officer; Jeffrey Steadman, Community Engagement Director; Matt O’Connor, Senior Director of National Sales; Liz Peixoto, Vice President of Product Design; Stephanie Fraser, Senior Director of Product Sourcing & Sustainability; and Stacey Howe, Vice President of eCommerce.

Vice President of Product Design, Liz Peixoto, brings over 20 years experience working in the outdoor, active and lifestyle apparel industries, with a background in creative direction, global design strategy, product conceptualization, and successful team leadership. Prior to joining Cotopaxi, Liz worked in Senior Creative roles at both Adidas and Merrell, and most recently as the owner of her own creative design studio. She will be responsible for the global product team with continuing to develop the successful Cotopaxi products and innovation.

Stacey Howe, Vice President of eCommerce, is a 15+ year veteran in the digital brand and ecommerce space and has held leadership roles in business strategy, digital brand marketing, ecommerce business development and customer experience optimization at some of the U.S.’ leading footwear and apparel brands. In her current role as Vice President of eCommerce at Cotopaxi, she will be focused on accelerating the company’s eCommerce business – a key priority for the company.  She is particularly excited to advance customer satisfaction through an ongoing, rigorous testing practice that will focus on optimizing and personalizing the Cotopaxi.com experience, across devices and consumer audiences.

Chief Legal Officer, Julie Bartlett, is an experienced legal professional with over two decades practicing law, and joins Cotopaxi from PillPack, an American online pharmacy which is a subsidiary of Amazon.com, where she most recently served as associate general counsel. Bartlett practiced law in a number of law firms during her career, including Goulston & Storrs and Ropes & Gray. She was assistant general counsel for the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the winter Olympic games of 2002. She is looking forward to supporting and guiding Cotopaxi in their many endeavors on the legal side.

Senior Director of Product Sourcing & Sustainability, Stephanie Fraser brings over 15 years of sourcing apparel and textiles experience in Asia and Europe for JCREW, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and Carters.  She will be working with the design and product teams to ensure that Cotopaxi’s overseas partners meet the brand’s rigorous product quality and sustainability requirements.

Matt O’Connor, Senior Director of National Sales, comes to the Cotopaxi team with over 25 years in the outdoor industry, working predominantly in the wholesale channel creating systems and strategies to support strong dealer results. Prior to Cotopaxi, Matt was with Patagonia for 14 years, both as a Sales Rep in the Rockies and a Sales Manager in the Western and Central US. As the Senior Director of National Sales he will be focused on growing the wholesale channel through healthy collaborations with specialty and national account partners with a focus on elevating the Cotopaxi mission.

Community Engagement Director, Jeffrey Steadman, has worked in community management for over a decade, most recently with Yelp where he built communities across Utah, and managed new communities in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest. He will lead the Cotopaxi community team as they expand across cities and college campuses nationwide.

Eric Turner, Director of Growth Marketing,  joins Cotopaxi as the Director of Growth Marketing after 7 years within the Omnicom Corporation, most recently as the Head of Search and Director of Digital Activation for PHD Media. In his time at Omnicom, Turner contributed to performance media strategy for a number of clients like SC Johnson, Carnival Corporation, Diageo, Volkswagen and Red Bull. Turner also served on Omnicom’s Digital Center of Excellence as both a project manager and search lead. At Cotopaxi, Turner will combine his expertise in digital media with his love for the outdoors by leading the brands’ continued growth with direct response performance media channels.

Davis Smith, founder and CEO of Cotopaxi said, “These new additions to our already invested and stellar team are a true indication of the commitment to our growth, and our company mission of creating best in class products while improving the human condition through our impact work.”

Cotopaxi also recently announced its search for the role of President, who would report to Smith as CEO. The brand is searching for an authentic leader who is passionate about positively impacting people, the planet, and communities. This leader must have previously demonstrated success growing a brand as a President, CEO, COO, or equivalent of an omni-channel brand that has experienced hyper-growth, but also be service-minded and be able to mentor and train a best-in-class team. Cotopaxi heads in 2022 with an incredible team and growth trajectory, and with sights set on a brighter future for everyone.

For more information, visit Cotopaxi.com.  

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Media Contact: OutsidePR | Jess Fiaschetti | jess@outsidepr.com | 415.565.9530

About Cotopaxi

Cotopaxi is an outdoor gear brand and Benefit Corporation founded to solve poverty in our lifetime. With five storefronts and a strong ecommerce platform, and employing over 80 staff members, we design, manufacture, and sell packs, water bottles, apparel, and gear, raising awareness and funds for various humanitarian causes through the Cotopaxi Foundation. In 2020, Cotopaxi gave close to $1 million to alleviate the financial impact of COVID-19 through traceable grants through its eponymous foundation. To help close the gap in human development caused by the pandemic, Cotopaxi has a goal of assisting 1 million people experiencing extreme poverty in 2021. For more information please visit https://www.cotopaxi.com