At the end of September Topher Gaylord left his position as President VF Outdoor and Action Sports International, (The North Face, Vans and Reef brands), based in Italy and moved back to his native USA. Topher was a proactive Director of the European Outdoor Group and the announcement that he was leaving Europe to take up a new position within the VF Corporation was sad news for the organisation.

Rolf Schmid, President of the European Outdoor Group and CEO of the Mammut Sports Group, commented that ‘Topher has had a strong influence on the organisation and his combination of experience, vision and common sense has been a huge help to us.’

As of October 1, 2008 Topher took up the position of President at Seven For All Mankind, a leader in luxury denim and has relocated to the Los Angeles area. Seven For All Mankind is a wholly-owned subsidiary of VF Corporation.

The Board of the European Outdoor Group take this opportunity to thank him for all the time and effort he has invested in the organisation and wish him every success with his new challenge. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we see him back in the outdoor industry again.