Newport Board Group Managing Director for the Pacific Northwest, Colleen Brown, has been named Chairwoman of the Board of American Apparel, Inc., the company announced on December 22, 2014.
American Apparel is a vertically-integrated manufacturer, distributor and retailer of branded fashion-basic apparel.
In announcing her appointment, American Apparel explained that Colleen, who joined the Board of the company in August and has been serving as Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee, brings to her new role years of experience as both a chief executive and board member of publicly traded companies. She has been instrumental, the company explained, in driving impressive turnarounds, returning several companies to profitability, and has been nationally recognized for her outstanding contributions in enhancing shareholder value.
Colleen commented on her appointment: “It’s time to focus on the work ahead of us and push this company to reach its full potential. This is a pivotal moment for American Apparel. The company has been a leader in American based apparel manufacturing and we believe in the future success of the concept and the company.”
Over the course of her career prior to joining Newport, Colleen has achieved outstanding results as a business leader. As Director, President and CEO of Fisher Communications, an owner of TV, Radio Digital and Mobility assets, Colleen drove turnaround at this NASDAQ-listed company after it had experienced five years of losses. Under her leadership the company increased cash flow by 88%. Its market cap doubled in its last three years and she then led the sale of the company at a 44% pre-announcement premium.
Prior to Fisher, Colleen was Senior VP of Belo Corporation of Dallas, a Fortune 1000 company. There she led P&L responsibility for $400 million in revenues in TV, Cable, and Internet; in addition to establishing the Business Development Division and Spanish-language businesses out of Mexico. Earlier in her career Colleen was a senior executive for 18 years with Gannett, the multinational media company.
Doug Payne, CEO of Newport Board Group, commented: “The partners of Newport Board Group are excited and proud that our colleague, Colleen Brown, has been named Chairwoman of American Apparel. Colleen is a highly valued colleague whose leadership has already contributed significantly to the growth of our firm. We look forward to Colleen continuing to play an important role driving our growth in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.”
See the full press release from American Apparel here. For more information about Newport Board Group, click here.
About the Author
Colleen has achieved outstanding results as a business leader. As Director, President and CEO of Fisher Communications, an owner of TV, Radio Digital and Mobility assets, Colleen drove turnaround at this NASDAQ-listed company after it had experienced five years of losses. Her extensive business and civic leadership also include election as chair of the Mobile 500, Washington Roundtable, and United Way of King County. Contact or learn more about Colleen here.
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