Northamptonshire shoe brand Dr. Martens has appointed non-executive director Ije Nwokorie to the role of chief brand officer.
On appointment into this role, Ije will cease to be a member of the Board and will step down as a member of the Audit and Risk, Nomination and Disclosure committees.
The newly-created role of chief brand officer will be a key member of the global leadership team, reporting into Kenny Wilson, CEO, overseeing the Global Marketing, Product and Strategy functions. The chief brand officer will be responsible for setting the overall brand strategy, vision and direction for the next phase of Dr. Martens’ growth.
Ije will join Dr. Martens as chief brand officer from Apple Inc, where he has been senior director, Apple Retail since January 2018. Prior to this he spent 11 years at global brand consultancy Wolff Olins, where he was latterly CEO, leading teams in offices in San Francisco, London, Dubai and New York. He is currently also chair of non-profit organisation charity: water UK.
Paul Mason, chair, said: “Ije has been a tremendous non-executive director since he joined the Board in January 2021. He has deep insight and understanding of brands and has extensive global DTC experience. I am delighted that he’ll be joining the leadership team as chief brand officer, a role for which he is perfectly suited.”
Kenny Wilson, CEO, said: “Ije is a visionary brand storyteller and this, along with his infectious passion for Dr. Martens, makes him the ideal person to lead the next era of our brand development. I am delighted that he will be joining my team in a permanent full-time position of chief brand officer, which will be a crucial role to enable us to become a £2bn revenue brand.”
Ije Nwokorie said: “I’ve always loved Dr. Martens and it’s been a real privilege getting to know the brand from the inside as a non-executive director. Dr. Martens is defined by its rebellious, authentic and creative nature, all of which makes me really excited to be joining Kenny and the team early in the new year and to get to work.”
