Charles River Apparel (asi/44620) has hired Wayne Best as its new chief marketing officer to build the Top 40 supplier’s brand presence and strengthen its digital platforms.

Wayne Best has been hired as chief marketing officer Charles River Apparel.

In the newly created senior leadership position, Best will oversee all marketing functions and will report directly to Barry Lipsett, CEO and owner of Charles River Apparel.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Wayne to our crew,” Lipsett said. “Wayne brings with him a wealth of relevant experience needed to drive this next chapter of growth for the company. He has a unique skillset and a passion for ensuring customer success, one of our key foundational values, while fully embracing consumer-centricity in his marketing approach. There’s no one better positioned to help accelerate our growth as CMO.”

Prior to joining Charles River Apparel, Best spent seven years as vice president of marketing at ’47, a Massachusetts-based sports lifestyle brand. He played a key role in elevating the company into a recognizable global brand and one of the largest family-owned businesses in the state. He’s also worked as global director of consumer marketing at New Era Cap, where he helped develop the business into one of the world’s largest cap companies during his 10-year tenure. He served in senior marketing roles at Adidas, Salomon and TaylorMade.

Best said he feels fortunate to be joining Charles River. “The challenges of 2020 have changed consumer behaviors significantly, and ownership at Charles River Apparel recognizes the importance of a meaningful brand to consumers, which will ultimately benefit our established customers,” he said. “Charles River Apparel enjoys a leadership positions in the markets we currently compete in, and we believe our brand-building efforts will only strengthen our positioning with our customers and introduce this great brand to a wider audience.”

Charles River ranks 40th on Counselor’s latest list of top suppliers, with North American promotional product sales of $45 million in 2019.