Tracksmith announced on Wednesday that longtime Converse executive Jon Tappan will be its new Chief Product and Merchandising Officer and lead its efforts into pushing new product category growth.
Tappan joins the Boston-based apparel company after 16 years at Converse, where he oversaw the brand’s global product engines for footwear, apparel and accessories.
As he shifts to Tracksmith, Tappan is set to bolster the brand’s ongoing surge in the footwear segment as the company expands past apparel. He will work directly with design and development teams to fortify the product roadmap, tighten the bond between footwear and apparel and source out how Tracksmith can boost its presence in its core categories.
“Jon understands the discipline required to build enduring product franchises without losing what makes a brand distinctive,” Jared Carver, CEO of Tracksmith said. “He has spent his career thinking about product at scale, how you create clarity across an assortment, build categories over time and translate a brand’s point of view into a compelling retail experience. That experience will be invaluable as we continue to evolve Tracksmith.”
Tappan will also oversee Tracksmith’s retail strategy, which will be revamped and continues to serve as points of sale and places to gather for the company’s community events and activations.
“Tracksmith has built a remarkably clear point of view around running and the role that great product can play in the experience of the sport,” Tappan said. “There is an enormous opportunity to build on that foundation — refining the assortment, developing footwear into a meaningful part of the business and creating retail environments that express the brand in a way that feels distinctly Tracksmith. I’m excited to help shape what comes next.”
In his time at Converse, Tappan worked across product, merchandising, e-commerce and retail. Deep into his tenure at the company, he oversaw the brand’s global product organization for footwear, apparel and accessories, including innovation, design, development, regional creation and merchandising.
Tracksmith, which was founded in 2014, launched its first running shoe in late 2022 with the Eliot Runner and has bolstered the lineup with the performance-focused Eliot Racer and Eliot Ryder, a stacked daily trainer.
