Reebok names New Balance veteran VP of apparel

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
Mar 5, 2021

Reebok announced on Thursday the appointment of New Balance veteran Portia Blunt to vice president, apparel. 

Reporting to Todd Krinsky, Reebok’s SVP, global product and based in Reebok’s Boston headquarters, Blunt will lead the global apparel team and drive product excellence across all apparel product categories. 

Most recently, she served as director of apparel operations at New Balance, where she lead the functional areas of innovation, material design and global integrated operations. During her 13-year tenure, she held a variety of roles in the apparel business, including leading innovation. 

At New Balance, Blunt also served as a member of the Diversity Council, where she is credited for contributing to the development of the current diversity, equity and inclusion strategy for the brand.

“Portia is a tremendous addition to our team and will be instrumental in helping shape and grow our apparel business moving forward,” said Reebok president, Matt O’Toole.

“We’re on a mission to be the top athletic lifestyle brand in the world, and having best-in-class apparel, infused with Reebok’s unique DNA, will be critical to help us get there. Portia is the right leader to help shape the future of Reebok apparel.”

“I couldn't be more excited to join this iconic brand and be a part of the Reebok family,” said Blunt. “Reebok has such a rich history and heritage in both the athletic and fashion spaces. And apparel offers such a great canvas to express this fusion of culture and sport to cultivate the unique style and attitude of the brand.”

Last month, parent company Adidas announced plans to sell or spin-off its underperforming Reebok brand. The move comes as it starts a formal process aimed at divesting Reebok as part of a five-year strategy, which it plans to present on March 10, when the company will also share its 2020 financial results.

Adidas has a number of options it can explore including spinning Reebok off as a stand-alone public company, or selling the brand to private equity, another major sports retailer or a multibrand player like VF Corp.