🟥 EMPLOYERS: Separate from recruiting, I write investment‑grade recruiting briefs that walk A‑player ecommerce candidates through the real business case for your role – the market, channels, KPIs, tech stack, team, and AI issues – before they ever get on Zoom with you. I research / write it. YOU bless it. YOU own it.

RESULT: Your first‑round conversations are with 6-8 highly informed A-players who already understand where/how they can drive EBITDA. To have me write and send your posting out to this list, text Harry Joiner at (404) 281‑2025. Confidential briefs / application process are no problem. ⬇️ SEE EXAMPLE ⬇️

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TODAY’S BRIEF: Leatherman Tool Group — the company that literally invented the modern pliers-based multi-tool back in 1983 — is hiring a Global Vice President of Sales & Marketing to run the entire commercial engine from its headquarters in Portland, Oregon. This role reports directly to newly appointed CEO Kris Hamper and is, for all practical purposes, the #2 commercial seat in the company.

Here’s the sitch: Tim Leatherman, the firm’s founder, is 77 years old.

He built the company from a post-college idea — he was traveling through Europe on a shoestring budget, kept running into fix-it situations, and thought, “Why isn’t there a pliers-based multi-purpose tool?” He went home to Oregon, spent years developing the concept, and incorporated the company on July 5, 1983.

More than four decades later, Leatherman is still family-owned, still headquartered in Portland, still manufacturing in the USA, and still the worldwide leader in the premium multi-tool category by brand awareness, product quality, and pricing power. Every tool they make is backed by a 25-year warranty. As Tim puts it: “It has to be perfect; my name is on every tool.”

Here’s why this matters right now.

On January 1, 2026, Leatherman brought in Kris Hamper as CEO. Hamper is a former CFO and COO who held finance and operations leadership roles at Keen (outdoor footwear), Dr. Martens (he was there through the 2021 IPO), and Carbon60 (private equity-backed operations).

Hamper is not a caretaker. He’s a growth operator who’s been brought in to professionalize the commercial organization, invest in digital marketing and ecommerce, and scale Leatherman’s international business from roughly 30-40% of revenue to north of 50%.

That growth mandate is why this VP role exists. It didn’t exist before. Hamper is building the commercial architecture from the top down and committing real capital behind it.

🟥 JOB SEARCH GOT YOU STUCK? Book an hour with VP/CMO ecommerce recruiter, Harry Joiner, who prepared this analysis. Includes a 3-month membership to NEXTgig™

About the Market

The global multi-tool market is estimated at $2.8 billion, with the premium segment — Leatherman’s home turf — at $300 million to $500 million. The category is growing at 5-8% CAGR, which is roughly 7-10x faster than the broader hand-tool industry’s anemic 0.7%.

Three big tailwinds are driving this: 1./ outdoor recreation participation is up 25% post-COVID and still climbing; 2./ the EDC (everyday carry) movement has exploded into a massive social media subculture with huge YouTube and TikTok communities; and 3./ the sustainability trend is pushing consumers toward durable, repairable, buy-it-for-life products — which is Leatherman’s entire brand thesis.

Leatherman generates an estimated $130 to $160 million in annual revenue. Roughly 30-40% comes from DTC ecommerce via Shopify, and 60-70% comes from wholesale and B2B channels — REI, Cabela’s, Home Depot, Amazon, Costco, plus a distributor network covering approximately 90 countries. Gross margins are strong at 55-60%. The company is profitable, family-owned, and debt-light.

So who is the customer? Think about it in three segments:

• ✅ First, there’s the core outdoor enthusiast — hikers, campers, overlanders, tactical users — who already know the brand and buy on quality and reputation.
• ✅ Second, there’s the rapidly growing EDC community — gear-obsessed consumers (skewing male, 25-45) who carry a curated set of tools daily and treat their Leatherman the way a watch collector treats a timepiece.
• ✅ Third, and this is the untapped segment, there’s the mainstream gift buyer and casual user who sees a Leatherman as a premium, aspirational purchase. The new VP will need to build marketing strategies that speak to all three segments across different channels and geographies.

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Why this Role is Flat-out Amazing:

This is a growth mandate with real capital behind it. Hamper is investing in marketing (the budget is estimated at $15-25 million and is expected to increase significantly), ecommerce technology, international expansion, and team building. The target is to roughly double the marketing team and build an international commercial organization from scratch.

Brand equity is extraordinary. You’re not building from zero. Leatherman invented the category, has 40+ years of heritage, and commands premium pricing in a market where low-cost Chinese knockoffs have failed to dent brand loyalty. That kind of moat — heritage plus quality plus American manufacturing — is nearly impossible to replicate.

The macro environment is actually favorable. Steel tariffs at 50% and Section 232 expansion to knives sound like headwinds — and they are, on the cost side. But they’re massive tailwinds for the “Made in USA” brand narrative. In a world where consumers are increasingly suspicious of globalized supply chains, Leatherman’s 600-person Portland manufacturing operation becomes a competitive advantage, not a cost center. The new VP who can flip the tariff story into a brand positioning advantage will have pricing power that their competitors can’t match.

The equity. How cool is this: Leatherman is offering a 0.15-0.30% ownership stake, vested over four years. For a family-owned company with strong financials and a new growth-focused CEO, this is meaningful.

It’s not a guaranteed IPO — but if the company executes on its growth plan and eventually takes on private equity or growth capital, the upside is real.

The autonomy. This is music to any A-player’s ears: This role is entrepreneurial by design. Hamper is empowering this person to build the team, own the P&L, set the strategy, and execute. If you’ve been stuck in a large public company matrix waiting for approvals from seventeen stakeholders, this is the antidote.

🟥 JOB SEARCH GOT YOU STUCK? Book an hour with VP/CMO ecommerce recruiter, Harry Joiner, who prepared this analysis. Includes a 3-month membership to NEXTgig™

One more thing worth flagging: Leatherman has a marketplace expansion partnership with Pattern to launch on 15+ new global marketplaces beyond Amazon — including Alibaba, Shopee, Lazada, and MercadoLibre. Asia-Pacific is the fastest-growing region in the multi-tool category, and the company is seeing strong demand in Australia, Japan, South Korea, and China. The international growth story here is not theoretical. It’s already in motion.

As Leatherman’s Global VP of Sales & Marketing, you will own the entire commercial engine across a $130-160 million platform that spans DTC ecommerce, wholesale, and international markets in 90+ countries. Your mission will be to

1. Accelerate international revenue from ~30-40% to 50%+ of total, establishing commercial operations in 3-5 priority markets;
2. Scale and optimize the DTC ecommerce platform while surgically managing channel conflict with major wholesale partners like REI, Costco, and Amazon; and
3. Build a world-class commercial organization — roughly doubling the marketing and ecommerce teams and building an international team from scratch.

THIS IS NOT A TURNAROUND. This is a well-run, profitable, heritage brand with a new CEO who is investing real capital to unlock the next phase of growth.

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Areas of Oversight

Global Brand Strategy & Positioning

• Define and lead a global brand architecture that positions Leatherman as the premium, innovation-led leader in the multi-tool category — not just a product brand, but a lifestyle and identity brand that resonates across outdoor enthusiasts, the EDC community, and mainstream gift buyers.
• Modernize the brand narrative for Gen Z and millennial consumers while maintaining the heritage credibility and craftsmanship positioning that justifies premium pricing. This is a “respect the legacy, then evolve from within” challenge — not a rebrand.
• Develop and manage brand partnerships and collaborations with outdoor and EDC influencers, retailers, and adjacent lifestyle brands to extend reach and cultural relevance.
• Oversee brand health metrics globally — awareness, preference, and Net Promoter Score — with specific targets to increase preference vs. Gerber and Victorinox by 5-10% within 12 months.

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DTC Ecommerce & Digital Platform Optimization

• Own P&L responsibility for Leatherman’s direct-to-consumer Shopify platform (estimated $40-65M annual DTC revenue, ~35% of total). Every 5% improvement in conversion or AOV represents $2-3M+ in incremental revenue.
• Audit the current platform for conversion bottlenecks, UX friction, merchandising gaps, and personalization opportunities. Develop a 12-24 month ecommerce roadmap covering new features, A/B testing infrastructure, customer data platform implementation, and checkout optimization.
• Build a contribution margin-governed ecommerce operating model — not ROAS-driven. Establish CAC limits based on customer lifetime value, with a target to improve CLV:CAC ratio from the current 3:1 to 4:1 within 24 months.
• Optimize the full customer lifecycle: acquisition, conversion, retention, and referral. Build email and loyalty programs, expand product content (photography, video, reviews, guides), and implement retention flows that reduce dependence on paid media.
• Drive DTC conversion rate from the current 2-3% to 3-4% within 12 months and increase AOV from $100-120 to $120-150.

Wholesale, Channel Management & Marketplace Expansion

• Lead wholesale strategy and execution with major retail partners including REI, Cabela’s, Home Depot, Amazon, Costco, and Tractor Supply. Own the wholesale P&L (estimated $70-95M annual wholesale revenue, ~65% of total).
• Manage channel conflict surgically: develop channel-exclusive product strategies (unique DTC models, unique wholesale models), transparent promotional calendars, and sell-through data sharing with key retail partners. Balance DTC growth with wholesale partner health — this is a tension, not a war.
• Lead marketplace expansion beyond Amazon via Pattern partnership: launch on 10+ new global marketplaces (Alibaba, Shopee, Lazada, MercadoLibre, etc.) and build marketplace-specific strategies covering vendor management, category optimization, advertising, and fulfillment.
• Monitor wholesale health metrics: sell-through rates, market share, retailer satisfaction, and category performance by channel.

International Revenue Acceleration

• Own the global expansion strategy with a mandate to grow international revenue from ~30-40% of total to 50%+ within 36 months. This is the single largest growth lever in the company.
• Establish commercial operations in 3-5 priority markets — likely UK, Germany, France, Japan, and Australia — with localized go-to-market strategies covering channel mix, wholesale partnerships, DTC, and marketplace presence.
• Build the international leadership team from scratch: regional VPs, country managers, and local marketing leads. Asia-Pacific is the fastest-growing region in the multi-tool category, and China, South Korea, and Australia are seeing strong demand.
• Navigate legal, tax, regulatory, and logistics challenges for each market. Develop market entry playbooks that can be replicated as the footprint expands.

🟥 JOB SEARCH GOT YOU STUCK? Book an hour with VP/CMO ecommerce recruiter, Harry Joiner, who prepared this analysis. Includes a 3-month membership to NEXTgig™

Integrated Digital Marketing & Demand Generation

• Build and lead a best-in-class global marketing organization. The estimated $15-25M annual marketing budget is expected to increase from ~8-10% of revenue to 12-15% in Year 1 — a significant capital commitment requiring disciplined ROI accountability.
• Develop integrated marketing campaigns across paid search, social media, content marketing, email, and affiliate channels. Achieve 4:1+ ROAS across paid channels within 12 months.
• Build a content engine targeting the EDC and outdoor communities: YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, blog. The current social following (~50K) is dramatically below the brand’s potential — target 200K+ by Month 24.
• Develop influencer and ambassador programs that leverage the EDC movement’s organic community dynamics. The authenticity of the Leatherman brand in this subculture is a massive untapped asset.
• Increase organic traffic to the website by 50%+ within 12 months through SEO and content strategy.

Tariff Navigation & Pricing Strategy

• Develop pricing strategy that reflects 50% steel tariff impact and Section 232 expansion to knives while maintaining gross margins at 55-60%. This requires a dual approach: cost mitigation through supply chain optimization and value communication through the “Made in USA” brand narrative.
• Partner with Operations on sourcing alternatives, nearshoring opportunities, alternative materials evaluation, and inventory management strategies that reduce tariff exposure.
• Position the tariff environment as a brand advantage: American resilience, domestic manufacturing, supply chain reliability. Consumers are increasingly valuing US-made, premium products — and Leatherman’s 600-person Portland manufacturing operation is the proof point.

Commercial Team Building & Organizational Development

• Build a world-class commercial organization. Marketing headcount needs to grow from ~8 to ~15 in Year 1 and ~20-25 by Month 24. Ecommerce headcount needs to roughly double. An international team needs to be built from scratch (target: 5-10 by Month 24).
• Establish clear accountability, performance metrics, and development paths. Foster a culture of data-driven decision making, customer obsession, and innovation.
• Create alignment between the commercial, product, and operations teams. This is a collaborative, family-owned culture — the new VP needs to lead through trust and clarity, not hierarchy or politics.

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Qualifications

EDUCATION & CERTIFICATION

• Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, or a related field (or equivalent experience). MBA preferred but not required.

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES — SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE

• 12+ years in senior commercial roles (VP, SVP, or C-level) leading both sales and marketing in a brand-driven, multi-channel consumer products company.
• Proven P&L ownership of $50M+ with direct accountability for revenue, profitability, and growth metrics. This is non-negotiable — titles can be misleading, and we need demonstrated financial discipline.
• Multi-channel expertise: hands-on experience managing both DTC/ecommerce and B2B/wholesale channels, ideally in the same organization. Ecommerce-only or wholesale-only backgrounds will not work for this role.
• Brand strategy experience: demonstrated ability to articulate and evolve brand positioning in competitive markets. You’ve modernized a brand for a younger audience without destroying the heritage that made it worth modernizing.
• Deep digital marketing expertise: paid search, social media, content marketing, email, affiliate, and marketing technology. You can speak fluently about performance marketing metrics and platform-specific strategies — not just manage people who can.
• International expansion experience: you’ve launched products or brands in new geographies, particularly EMEA and Asia-Pacific. You understand localized go-to-market strategies, distributor networks, and the regulatory complexity of cross-border commerce.
• Ecommerce platform experience: ideally Shopify or equivalent DTC platform at scale. You understand conversion optimization, AOV drivers, customer lifetime value, and the unit economics that govern DTC profitability.
• Marketplace expertise: experience with Amazon and/or international marketplace platforms (Alibaba, Shopee, MercadoLibre, etc.). Understanding of vendor management, category optimization, and marketplace advertising.
• Category experience in outdoor, sporting goods, lifestyle, tools, or adjacent premium consumer products is strongly preferred. (Nice to have: deep relationships with major retailers like REI, Cabela’s, Dick’s, Academy, Tractor Supply, etc.)
• AI fluency: you use AI tools to execute faster and think sharper — analyzing market data, optimizing campaigns, and building competitive intelligence. This isn’t about tool mastery; it’s about using AI as a force multiplier for business outcomes.

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LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT COMPETENCIES

• Track record of building and scaling commercial teams from the ground up. You’ve hired senior leaders, developed talent, and built an organizational culture that attracts great people. The new VP will need to roughly triple the commercial team’s capacity.
• Cross-functional collaboration: comfortable working with Product, Operations, Finance, and Innovation teams. This is a collaborative organization, not a siloed one.
• Decision-making: you think strategically but act decisively. You’re comfortable with ambiguity and can make high-quality decisions without perfect information.
• Agency and vendor management: experience managing external partners (creative agencies, media agencies, technology vendors, marketplace partners) and holding them accountable for results.

🟥 JOB SEARCH GOT YOU STUCK? Book an hour with VP/CMO ecommerce recruiter, Harry Joiner, who prepared this analysis. Includes a 3-month membership to NEXTgig™

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

• High integrity and transparency. Leatherman is a family-owned company where trust is the currency. The founder’s name is literally on every product.
• Self-directed and entrepreneurial. This role has significant autonomy — the CEO is empowering you to build the commercial organization and own the strategy. You need to thrive in that environment, not wait for direction.
• Intellectually curious about the multi-tool category, the EDC community, the retail landscape, and supply chain dynamics. You don’t need to be an expert on Day 1, but you need to want to become one.
• Resilient and comfortable with complexity. This role involves tariff volatility, channel conflict, international expansion risk, and organizational change — simultaneously.
• Strong communicator who can translate strategy into clear, actionable plans for diverse audiences: the board, the factory floor, retail partners, and a global marketing team.
• Respectful of heritage. You understand that a 40-year-old brand built by a founder who still chairs the company requires a certain humility. You modernize from a position of respect, not disruption for its own sake.
• Comfortable with Portland, Oregon. This is an on-site leadership role. Candidates must reside within 50 miles of Portland or be willing to relocate immediately.

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JUST FOR FUN: HERE ARE FIVE PURELY HYPOTHETICAL AI-RELATED INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR THIS ROLE …

Question 1: The Institutional Knowledge Bomb

Tim Leatherman is 77 years old. His name is on every product. His judgment is baked into every pricing decision, every retailer relationship, every “we don’t do that here” instinct the company has. New CEO comes in, new VP of Sales and Marketing comes in — both outsiders. What’s your specific plan to capture what Tim knows before it walks out the door with him? And I don’t mean lunch. I mean a system.

Question 2: The Small Team, Big Mandate Test

You’re being asked to take a marketing team of 8 people and grow it to 20-25 over 24 months — while simultaneously running international expansion into 3-5 new markets, scaling DTC, and managing channel conflict with REI and Costco. That’s a lot of plates spinning. Most executives in this situation just add headcount and hope. What does AI actually change about how you staff and run this build-out? Not in theory — specifically.

Question 3: The Specification Quality Test

The job posting is unusually precise — DTC conversion from 2-3% to 3-4%, CLV:CAC from 3:1 to 4:1, AOV from $100-120 to $120-150, international from 30-40% to 50%+ in 36 months. Most of those targets are directionally right but operationally vague. Walk me through how you’d break down just one of them — say, the international revenue target — into the actual decisions you’d make in months one through six.

Question 4: The Conviction Velocity Test

This role is entrepreneurial by design — the job posting says it three times. But you’re still operating inside a family-owned company with a 77-year-old founder who chairs the board and has strong opinions. Name a commercial decision you made in a previous role that your leadership disagreed with at the time, that you did anyway, and that turned out to be right. What made you act before you had consensus?

Question 5: The Synthesis Layer Question

You’re going to have sales data coming in from 90 countries, DTC customer data on Shopify, wholesale sell-through from REI and Costco, marketplace performance on Amazon and 15+ global platforms via Pattern, and a growing social following in the EDC community. Most commercial organizations treat these as separate systems. What’s your actual plan to connect them into something that gives you a real-time commercial picture — and what does that system look like in month 18?

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🟥 EMPLOYERS: Separate from recruiting, I write investment‑grade recruiting briefs that walk A‑player ecommerce candidates through the real business case for your role – the market, channels, KPIs, tech stack, team, and AI issues – before they ever get on Zoom with you. I research / write it. YOU bless it. YOU own it.

RESULT: Your first‑round conversations are with 6-8 highly informed A-players who already understand where/how they can drive EBITDA. To have me write and send your posting out to this list, text Harry Joiner at (404) 281‑2025. Confidential briefs / application process are no problem.