The American fiber manufacturer The Lycra Company is repositioning his management team.
Robert Johnston was promoted to Chief Operating Officer (COO), while Doug Kelliher was appointed Executive Vice President, as the company announced on Thursday. Both managers report directly to CEO Gary Smith.
For Johnston it is a promotion of its previous role as an executive vice president, operations. The designated COO has been working for The Lycra Company and its predecessor organizations for 35 years. Now he will expand his management responsibility to product development – in addition to his previous responsibility for the global production business and IT, as can be seen from the press release. In his new function, Johnston will also take over the management of F&-Personal, Laboratory Sours Tours and Pilot productions in order to promote innovations in the entire product portfolio and thus support the strategic growth goals.
“It is an honor for me to take on the role of Chief Operating Officer and to help shape the future of our innovation pipeline,” said Johnston. “Our teams around the world are strongly geared towards excellence, and I look forward to working together across all areas in order to strengthen our processes and advance product development.”
Kelliher, on the other hand, changes from Polartec, a manufacturer of innovative functional substances, to The Lycra Company. There he worked as a Vice President Product Management for the past ten years, as can be seen from his LinkedIn profile. At The Lycra Company, he will lead the product management team in the future and be responsible for the development and implementation of the strategy in the areas of fibers, fabrics and clothing.
“I am very happy to become part of The Lycra Company and to contribute to the legacy of innovation,” said Kelliher. “With the strength of our global team and a clear focus on differentiated products that meet the market requirements, I am confident that we can open up new growth opportunities and offer our customers: inside extraordinary added value.”