Driving transformation at The North Face, Timberland and Vans

Transformation might be one of the most overused words in the business world, including retail. But true transformation is large, holistic and requires radical change, according to Mindy Grossman, partner and vice chair of Consello. 

“This is not an easy thing. Among other things, it requires a visionary leader, the alignment of the organization at every level, the support of the board, investment dollars, and, yes, very importantly, resilience,” she said at NRF 2026: Retail’s Big Show, where she led a conversation onstage with three brand leaders from VF Corporation. 

VF Corp., an American apparel and footwear company with 11 brands in its portfolio, is in the midst of such a transformation. Under the stewardship of President and CEO Bracken Darrell, the company has embarked on a dynamic turnaround with a new leadership team at both the company level and the individual brands, including The North Face, Timberland and Vans. 

“When I came in, I recognized we had a lot of elements that were ready for transformation,” said Nina Flood, global brand president for Timberland. “From the organizational structure to our leadership team, to our GTM process, to our planning process, to our global brand architecture. And we began to overhaul all of that.” 

Flood, a 20-year veteran at VF Corp., became head of Timberland two years ago, and soon realized that to truly transform the brand, “we needed to have a complete and total mind shift change. We need to reset the culture to reignite energy and belief in the brand internally and externally.” 

The beloved brand got its start as a practical, protective boot for workers in the construction industry. Over the years, Timberland has been embraced by subcultures around the world from New York to Milan to Tokyo. 

“We had to reset leadership and all the things we talked about,” Flood said, “but we had this amazing asset and it was our icon, this product that sort of transcended what it was made from, what it was made for.” 

That new “icon energy” has paid off, she said, with brand search increases in the United States and European markets, and a soaring resale market. 

Vans has a similar, if more nostalgic, icon energy, said Vans Global Brand President Sun Choe. “I think the thing that has always been relevant and cool about the brand is that intersection of action sports, of California where we’re from, of our legacy in art and music,” she said. 

“That intersection really speaks to the mindset, which is ‘Off the Wall,’ and really making sure that the teams had absolute clarity on focus on that piece of it.” 

Resilience has been key to The North Face’s brand transformation, said Global Brand President Caroline Brown. “Transformation is about a lot of moving parts at the same time because in the speed of today’s business, you really have to change every single level of the company simultaneously.” 

Brown has also leveraged the brand’s heritage and focused on its core categories. “Like many brands who have been around for a long time, we [had] started to sway and chase areas that maybe we had some business in, but maybe we didn’t really have any business being in,” she said. As a result, The North Face “pulled back from a lot of the areas that we were touching to focus on three core categories … the areas of snow, climb and trail-making.” 

By staying connected to customer needs and fostering innovation in ways that stay true to each brand’s unique heritage, each of these three leaders are building the foundation for long-term success, Grossman said. “It’s been a lot of work led by CEO Bracken Darrell, and much of that work ultimately falls to the leadership and management of the brands. These three incredible women are at the helm of a turnaround.”