Under Armour has a new chief innovation officer

Under Armour is bringing in an experienced design leader from the auto world, announcing Clay Dean is joining the company as chief innovation officer.
Dean comes to Under Armour’s Baltimore headquarters following 20 years at General Motors, where he most recently led the car company’s Global Advanced Design department. He played a lead role in creating several of GM’s Concept Cars and led design on Hummer models. The move seems to reflect an attitude that innovation can come from anywhere, though he has been involved with footwear before. This 2004 report shows a collaboration between his team at GM and Nike.

“Clay brings a unique perspective to Under Armour and deep roots in design, manufacturing and innovation that will be critical in guiding how we make and deliver products now and in the future,” said UA President of Category Management and Innovation Kevin Haley. Dean will report to Haley.
Along with how they look and perform, Under Armour is also putting more emphasis on coming up with new ways to make its products. The company opened The Lighthouse in Port Covington last year with the bold goal of reinventing manufacturing.