Dive Brief:
- Pendleton Woolen Mills has appointed Jennifer Ingraffea as CEO, according to a Tuesday press release. She is expected to start in July.
- Ingraffea will succeed John Bishop, who was appointed to the chief executive role in 2017 and announced his intention to retire in February, according to a spokesperson. Ingraffea is only the third person outside the Bishop family to serve as CEO since the company was founded in 1863, and she will be the first woman in the role, per the release.
- Bishop currently serves as both CEO and president, and will transition into a role as chairman of the board at the end of summer, per the spokesperson.
Dive Insight:
Ingraffea comes to the company from VF Corp.-owned brand The North Face, where she served as chief product and merchandising officer, per the release. Before that, Ingraffea worked at Nike, where she held various leadership roles including global vice president of kids footwear.
“When I moved to the Pacific Northwest over two decades ago, Pendleton was one of the first brands that caught my attention,” Ingraffea said in the release. “The history, legacy, and unparalleled craftsmanship drew me in immediately. Now, I have the incredible opportunity to help shape its next chapter — to guide the brand toward the full promise of its potential.”
During Bishop’s tenure as CEO, Pendleton underwent a brand transformation that helped streamline its product line and manage its cost systems, per the release.
The company also repositioned itself in the market and re-acquired its outerwear license from Item House Inc. in 2020. Last year, Pendleton released a “Century of Shirtmaking” capsule collection of wool tops.
Bishop joined Pendleton full-time in 1982 and worked in the company’s New Hampshire woolen mill until 1995, when he moved to Oregon to run mill fabric sales and home and apparel manufacturing.
He said Ingraffea’s experience exceeded the high expectations Pendleton set when initiating a search for his replacement.
“From our earliest conversations, it was clear Jenn’s magnetic presence, her leadership style grounded in mentorship, and her ability to unite teams around a shared vision made her a natural fit for Pendleton,” Bishop said in the release. “Jenn brings a decades-long career rooted in global product merchandising, and we look forward to her leading us in delivering compelling, market-relevant products to our customers.”
Pendleton operates two woolen mills, located in Oregon and Washington. Its products are sold through its website and retail stores in the U.S., as well as through select retailers worldwide.
