Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI, Seattle) has named Jerry Stritzke as its new president and ceo, replacing now-U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell.
Stritzke, the former president and chief operating officer of Coach Inc. (New York), had been rumored to be a top candidate to succeed departing ceo Christine Day at Lululemon Athletica Inc. (Vancouver, B.C.). As reported by Women’s Wear Daily, he had held a seat on Lululemon’s board for the past 14 months and had been known for a time to be resigning from Coach effective September 2 “to pursue other interests.”
Stritzke had been at Coach for five years, doubling its sales during his tenure. Before Coach, he had been at Limited Brands Inc. (Columbus, Ohio), for a time as co-head of Victoria’s Secret.