It has recently been announced that Topher Gaylord will leave his current position as President VF Outdoor and Action Sports International, (The North Face, Vans and Reef brands), based in Italy to move back to his native USA. Topher has been a proactive Director of the European Outdoor Group since it was founded in 2005 and the announcement that he is to leave Europe to take up a new position within the VF Corporation is 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.’

A year ago Topher additionally stepped in to fill the position of Interim President of the EOG Association for Conservation, through his enthusiasm, The North Face’s membership has been used as a positive model of how brands can engage on the issue of conservation.

As of October 1, 2008 Topher will take up the position of President at Seven For All Mankind, a leader in luxury denim and will relocate 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.

Notes to Editors:
The European Outdoor Group is an association set up to represent the common interests of the European outdoor industry.
Founded in 2003 the European Outdoor Group now has 46 members, which include some of the largest brands in the world. The combined strength of the member brands, and a close cooperation with national outdoor associations, provides an extremely powerful force to represent the European outdoor industry in a constructive and positive manner.

Further information about the European Outdoor Group can be found on the website:
www.europeanoutdoorgroup.com or contact:
Vanessa Knowles
Tel: +44 1942 886402
vanessa.knowles@europeanoutdoorgroup.com