Patagonia Advertises for New Chief Executive
” . . . Woman or man wanted for hazardous journey. Explore frontiers of corporate and environmental responsibility. No equity, frequent navigation by board and founders, intense scrutiny from true believers, safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success.”
So reads the classified ad in the January edition of AdWeek magazine.
Its aim: to locate a chief executive for Patagonia Inc., the Ventura-based outdoor clothing company.
“We’re looking for somebody who understands and appreciates the values that the company holds,” said Kevin Sweeney, Patagonia’s environmental strategies director.
“We want somebody who has respect for the environment and a passion for the outdoors--surfing, climbing, backpacking. Our primary criteria is one that is values based.”
A secondary qualification, said Sweeney, is the ability to operate a sizable international company with 700 employees.
“We need someone who understands the problems facing a $160-million business,” he said. “We continue to grow, sometimes against our will. We are looking for somebody to help us continue.”
Patagonia has been without an official chief executive since the departure of Kris McDivitt four years ago.
Sweeney said a search for a replacement at that time was unsuccessful. In lieu of a new CEO, he said, Allison May, the company’s chief financial officer, took over the responsibilities.
“The feeling in-house was that she was the only person who could lead the company,” Sweeney said. “She’s essentially been running the company as a general manager, but she decided long ago to leave at the end of this fiscal year, which is April 30.”
Sweeney credited May with pulling Patagonia out of financial difficulties in the early 1990s.
“She is challenged by start-up [businesses] and rescues of businesses,” he said. “She’ll probably look for a similar situation to what Patagonia had.”
May, who was visiting Chile, was unavailable for comment.
When May does leave, Sweeney said, the company intends to have someone ready to step into the CEO position. But the search, he said, continues to be a difficult one.
“To know how to run a company of this size requires a lot of work, a lot of ambition and a lot of time in the office,” he said.
“On the other hand, someone who shares our love of nature and the wilderness, that requires a lot of time outdoors.”
