Tommy Hilfiger lures Nike account boss to head European marketing

Fashion manufacturer Tommy Hilfiger has poached Wieden and Kennedy’s Ben Simonds-Gooding to become its new European marketing director.

He replaces American Vicki Reed who is returning to the US. A spokesman for Hilfiger describes her as “leaving to pursue her own interests”.

Simonds-Gooding was an account director for Nike at Wieden and Kennedy’s European headquarters in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He takes up his new post on June 7. Tommy Hilfiger’s European headquarters are also in Amsterdam.

Simonds-Gooding comments: “I wanted something different and this is an exciting brand. The Hilfiger brand has been hugely successful and my job will be to maintain this success.”

Tommy Hilfiger is in the middle of ambitious expansion plans. Aside from its core men’s clothing range, it plans to launch women’s wear, accessories, footwear, and soft furnishings lines.

The company is sponsoring the Rolling Stones “No Security” US and European tour.

Before working on the Nike account at Wieden and Kennedy, Simonds-Gooding was an account director at Leagas Delaney in London.

Reed, his predecessor at Hilfiger, was European marketing director at Pepe Jeans, and before that she was a marketer with Nike.