Skins.net

Australia
W. Hodge, General Manager, Skins™ Compression Garments Pty Ltd

Warren developed his management skills over many years in the liquor industry with sales and marketing roles representing various wineries and breweries. This included roles based in NSW, Victoria , Western Australia and Queensland , with responsibility for sales, general management, and some marketing of national brands as well as hotels and café/restaurants .

As well as in a broad range of markets, Warren’s experience includes working in both niche marketing-driven and blue chip companies. He has a proven track record in developing and successfully executing sales plans to grow brands and to achieve targets. After roles in internet/communications and then a merchandising/inventory management consultancy, Warren came to skins in June 2003.

United Kingdom / Europe
David Ling, General Manager, Skins™ Ltd

Prior to entering the sporting goods industry David spent 5 years with the Imperial Tobacco Group in the UK, where he progressed to the position of Regional Sales Manager. The training and experience obtained in this sector proved invaluable when he moved and became General Sales Manager of adidas UK, before being promoted to Sales & Marketing Director 3 years later. He was also a member of the adidas international marketing committee, comprising of a select team of six persons, which was responsible for determining both product and marketing strategies globally. In 1992 he moved to Hi Tec Sports plc as Sales & Marketing Director for 2 years, before being recruited by the Pirelli Group to become Managing Director of their footwear division, a position he held for 3 years. In the interim period, and before joining Skins™, David worked on a consultancy basis and assisted a number of USA and Far East footwear and clothing brands to establish a foothold in the UK and other European countries.

The Americas
Patricia Babka, General Manager, Skins™ USA inc.

Patricia Babka is our General Manager for the Americans. She came to us with 20 years of experience in the outdoor and sporting goods industry. She started as an independent sales representative for Columbia sportswear in 1986 and ended her career at Columbia as a key leader in developing focus teams to segment product for the sporting goods industry while growing her accounts to some of the best for Columbia Sportswear. She then went on to management at The North Face in 2001 and led the team to develop the line to accommodate national sporting goods retailers and experienced growth over 50%. In 2005 she led a team of 30 sales representatives to grow Pearl Izumi’s cycling business to one of their biggest growth periods in the company’s history during an acquisition by Nautilus.

Patricia believes one of the keys to her success is building strong relationships on all levels and the ability to thrive in fast growing environments. She is known for her big picture thinking while being able to have a realistic grasp on the small details. She has a passion for the outdoor and technical industry, she is a snowboarder in the winter and a road cyclist and runner in the summer.