Patagonia unites marketing and purpose for new role

Outdoor apparel brand Patagonia is aiming to boost its presence in the EMEA region with the appointment of its first senior director of marketing and impact; a new role which is designed to build its brand and drive its impact as a responsible business.

Amanda Calder-Mclaren joins from Hugo Boss and has been tasked with bringing Patagonia’s marketing and impact work together – uniting storytelling and action.

Working closely with global leadership, EMEA teams and local communities, she will lead both how Patagonia communicates its values and how those values are delivered through its environmental and social impact work across the region. The company avoids traditional advertising, choosing instead to focus on community-building through social media (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook) and organic engagement.

Calder-Mclaren began her career in the sports and outdoor industry, working across a breadth of brands including Adidas Terrex, Technogym, Wahoo and The North Face.

As senior brand marketing director EMEA at The North Face, she led major brand campaigns alongside programmes designed to broaden access to the outdoors.

Calder-Mclaren is a founding member, and former chair, of Opening Up The Outdoors (OUTO), a European collective tackling systemic barriers to inclusion across outdoor spaces and the outdoor industry.

She has also served as chief marketing officer at Montirex, before most recently holding the role of global vice president of brand communications at Hugo Boss.

Originally from London, Calder-Mclaren is relocating to Patagonia’s European headquarters in Amsterdam from Switzerland.

Patagonia general manager EMEA Nina Hajikhanian said: “This role will bring greater focus to how Patagonia builds its brand and drives impact as a responsible business in EMEA, recognising that the two are inseparable.

“Amanda brings the experience and vision to lead this work across the region. She is a storyteller driven by purpose, with nearly two decades of experience in the outdoor and apparel industry, and a leadership approach rooted in community. We’re excited to welcome her to the team and to have her help guide this next chapter across the region.”

Calder‑Mclaren added: “Patagonia stands apart because it proves that profit and responsibility can work in harmony. It’s not antigrowth but antigreed – and that ethos is what I respect so deeply. The outdoors has shaped my life, from time spent in the mountains to the sense of connection it creates. I’m proud to join Patagonia as a custodian of the brand and to help carry that spirit forward across EMEA.”