Anne Broholm has been appointed chief executive officer of Ahead, the headwear, apparel and golf accessories company located in New Bedford, Mass. Additionally, Chuck Lord has been appointed chief operating officer of Ahead. Ken Shwartz, Ahead founder and current CEO, will remain on the company’s board of directors.
Ahead is a member of New Wave Group AB, a Swedish firm with several businesses in the promotional products industry. It is the parent company of Cutter & Buck, Kosta Boda, Orrefors and Sagaform, and recently acquired Paris Glove of Canada in December 2011.
Broholm, who will assume her new responsibilities June 1, has been with Cutter & Buck since 2005, most recently as global sales manager, golf. Her previous experience included nine years as executive vice president of sales and marketing for Imperial Headwear and additional apparel experience with Liz Claiborne, Ocean Pacific and O’Neill.
As CEO, she will oversee sales, marketing and finance for Ahead’s four business units: Men’s Apparel, Ahead Headwear, the “Heavy Metal” line of golf accessories and the “Kate Lord Collection” of women’s hats, apparel and accessories.
Lord will assume responsibility for the day-to-day operations at the New Bedford facility, including design, distribution, customer service and production. He has been director of art and design for Ahead since the company was established in January 1995.
“Anne’s talents and in-depth knowledge of the golf industry will be invaluable assets to guide Ahead to the next levels,” said Torsten Jansson, managing director and CEO of New Wave Group. “Her vast network and leadership, combined with Chuck’s creativity and knowledge of internal operations, will aid us to strengthen and grow our market position.”
Ahead is best known for its premier headwear collections that feature original approaches to logo ornamentation options. Founded in 1995, Ahead has been able to capitalize on the golf industry’s desire for high-quality graphics on headwear and an array of garments. Among active professional golfers who wear Ahead gear on the course are Luke Donald, Retief Goosen, Jim Furyk, Sean O’Hair and Brittany Lincicome.
For more information, visit www.aheadweb.com.
