“The Philippines has immense potential for Skechers, and with our dedicated team focused on growth and delivering the integrated capabilities of Skechers, we believe this step accelerates that potential,” Chief Operating Officer David Weinberg said in a statement.
The Manhattan Beach-based footwear and apparel brand is working on “reestablishing the brand in the market,” according to Suzette Pasustento, country manager for Skechers USA Philippines. The effort includes setting up new offices in Manila, opening a distribution center and 12 more stores, introducing new product categories, expanding wholesale, as well as launching a comprehensive marketing campaign.
On the domestic front, Skechers reshuffled its board last month, parting ways with Jeffrey Greenberg, Geyer Kosinski, Richard Rappaport and Tom Walsh, and welcoming Zulema Garcia, who was appointed to serve on the audit committee.
Garcia is the senior vice president of internal audit at downtown-based Herbalife International Inc. Prior to joining Herbalife in October 2019, she was an audit partner at KPMG where she spent 24 years. Garcia also serves on the boards for of Mount St. Mary’s University and The Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Los Angeles.
The company noted that the departing directors’ resignations were not the result of any disagreement on any matter relating to its operations, strategy, policies or practices. The new lineup, however, will help Skechers comply with state law requiring public corporations to add women and other underrepresented people to their boards by the end of last year.
“We greatly appreciate the many years of valuable insight and expertise the resigning board members have contributed to Skechers,” Chief Executive Robert Greenberg said in a statement. “As we move forward, we believe the fresh perspective of Zulema, as well as that of future members, will further diversify and complement our Board.”
Garcia’s addition brings the total number of directors to seven. Along with Greenberg and Weinberg, other board members are Skechers President Michael Greenberg, Katherine Blair, Morton Erlich and Richard Siskind. S.B. 826, which was signed into law in 2018, stipulates that five-member boards must include at least two women directors, or three women if the corporation has six or more directors.
