Stephen Garner
3 min read
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Dr. Martens has named former Nike executive Paul Zadoff as its new president of the Americas as the U.K.-based footwear company looks to continue rebuilding its business in the region.
According to the company, Zadoff will be responsible for leading the experienced regional team in driving the performance, growth and profitability of the Americas business.
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He will join Dr. Martens’ global leadership team and will report to chief executive officer Ije Nwokorie. Zadoff will assume his new role at Dr. Martens at the beginning of June.
Nwokorie, who took the CEO helm in January, said in a statement that it is a “testament to the power” of Dr. Martens to attract someone of Zadoff’s caliber to join the team and to shape and execute the company’s regional strategy.
“His experience leading teams, working in partnership with wholesale customers, building omnichannel businesses and driving growth at some of the world’s most recognizable brands will be hugely valuable,” Nwokorie said. “I look forward to working with Paul and have no doubt he will help to take our Americas business to another level.”
Zadoff joins Dr. Martens from luxury eyewear brand Caddis where he served as chief operating officer since 2022. Prior to that, he held executive roles at fitness company TRX Training, Patagonia and Levi Strauss & Co.
But most of his footwear experience came from Nike. Zadoff joined the Swoosh in 1990 and remained there until 2009. During his two-decade career at Nike, he held a range of global and regional leadership roles in sales, product and brand, culminating as managing director of Nike Pacific.
“I am a lifetime admirer of the craftsmanship of Dr. Martens’ products and the durability of this heritage brand in an ever-changing consumer landscape,” Zadoff added. “The brand already has a well-established footprint in the USA, but there is vast untapped potential ahead across the Americas. I am incredibly excited to join Ije and the team to lead the next chapter of the brand’s growth.”
The Dr. Martens business operates a regional model from three regions: Europe, Middle East and Africa (headquartered in London), Americas (headquartered in Portland) and Asia-Pacific (headquartered in Hong Kong), with its head office in the U.K. In the Americas, the brand has been present in the USA since 1980 and today across the region it has 59 owned stores, with total regional sales accounting for nearly 40 percent of group revenue.
