Sporting supplier PLAE appoints strategist Mike Ferris as Chief Brand Officer

December 19, 2023

US-based athletic performance company, PLAE has appointed marketing and strategy leader Mike Ferris as Chief Brand Officer. With 20 years of experience – and named a 2023 Forbes Top 50 Entrepreneurial CMO – Ferris will direct overall brand strategy and marketing, product innovation and direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales.

Ferris spent more than a decade at The North Face, most recently as vice president of brand management for the $4 billion global outdoor lifestyle brand.

With 20 years of experience – and named a 2023 Forbes Top 50 Entrepreneurial CMO – Ferris will direct overall brand strategy and marketing, product innovation and direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales for PLAE.

Brett Waits, founder and Chief Executive of PLAE enthused “we are beyond excited to have one of the world’s top brand strategists accelerate our vision and sports science principles and solutions to inspire human performance globally and help people live a higher quality of life.

“This isn’t about selling more products; it’s about creating a brand strategy based on our vision, mission and values.”

Ferris aims to expand the brand community by crafting the company’s five-year global brand strategy, growing PLAE’s product innovation pipeline, building the brand’s ambassador and partner network and developing a consumer marketing and commerce strategy.

Ferris shared “PLAE is on a mission to change the world, and I look forward to helping the brand amplify and bring its vision to inspire human performance more broadly to the masses.

“I have spent my career working with athletes and building solutions that not only solve for athletes’ needs, but also can be adopted by a wider base of consumers. I am excited to continue this career journey as part of the PLAE team.”

Splitting his time between his home base in Denver and the company’s Canton, Georgia global headquarters, Ferris earned an MBA from Duke University and a B.A. in economics & government from the University of Virginia.

A Veteran Strategy and Marketing Expert
Ferris spent more than a decade at The North Face, a VF company, most recently as vice president of brand management for the $4 billion global outdoor lifestyle brand. There he also served as senior director of brand marketing, senior director of global brand strategy & business planning and senior manager of brand & marketing strategy.

Among the multiple awards the company earned during his leadership:

2023 Time magazine Most Influential Brands
2022 Fast Company Brands that Matter
2020 Fast Company Most Innovative Brands

“PLAE is a purpose-driven company that will have a tremendous influence on our industry and customers into the future, thanks to Mike’s leadership,” Waits added.

The North Face is an American outdoor recreation products company. The North Face produces outdoor clothing, footwear, and related equipment.

Click here to contact PLAE via their Australasian Leisure Management Supplier Directory entry.

2nd June 2022 - PLAE welcomes Fitness Industry veteran Roy Simonson as Director of Product Innovation

19th January 2022 - PLAE invests in innovation factory to build new line of premium strength training racks

11th May 2020 - PLAE and BeaverFit formalise partnership to boost athletic training options in Oceania

16th August 2019 - Global sports flooring company PLAE launches Brand Ambassador Program into Australia

15th February 2018 - PLAE looks to grow international business with innovative performance solutions

9th August 2016 - Sydney Uni Sport and Fitness installation marks arrival of PLAE sport floor options

Support our industry news service
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?

As an independent publisher, we need reader support for our industry news gathering so ask that - if you don't already do so - you back us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine and/or our online news.

Click here to view our subscription options.