• by Sarah Mahoney , 2 hours ago

 
Tara McRae is leaving Puma after 12 years, and has signed on as CMO of the much-larger Skechers. She announced it in a LinkedIn post.

“After leaving the cat last Friday, I hopped on a plane to Manhattan Beach over the weekend,” she wrote. “I’m only a week in, but I’m already blown away by the brand, the product, the ambition — and most importantly, the people.”

She said she is especially pumped to work with 'the founders and many of the team who have been here since the early days. New company. New challenge. New team. Same love of shoes, consumers, and growing a sustainable business.”

Skechers did not respond to Marketing Daily’s request for confirmation.

McRae was appointed as the president of Puma’s North American operations two years ago and was the first woman to hold that post. It was her second tour at the company: She held various brand and marketing positions there from 2006 to 2016, when she left to become CMO of TB12, a performance brand started by NFL star Tom Brady. From there, she moved to CMO at Clarks.

Puma has been struggling, and in its most recent quarterly results, the German shoe company reported a 9.2% drop in sales.

Skechers went private last year in a $9 billion deal with 3G Capital and continues to grow faster than many competitors. Last month, it announced it had become the second-largest footwear brand by units sold in the U.S.

While it continues to grow market share in the casual sector, powered by the popularity of slip-ins, it’s also rapidly expanding in performance shoes, taking on legacy brands in categories such as running and basketball.