Tracksmith Founder Passes CEO Baton to Converse Veteran

Tracksmith, a 12-year-old independent running brand, announced Tuesday that co-founder Matt Taylor has appointed Converse veteran Jared Carver as its new chief executive.

Taylor will stay on as Tracksmith’s chief creative officer to focus solely on the label’s marketing, creative direction and product.

“As the team and business grew, I just found myself spending less time on the creative expression of the brand,” said Taylor in an interview with The Business of Fashion. “I’ve taken the business as far as I can in that role.”

When Taylor co-founded Tracksmith in 2014 with Luke Scheybeler, it became one of the first labels to propose a performance-meets-fashion approach to running by honing in on collegiate-inspired workout gear informed by its roots in New England. Since then, Tracksmith has grown from a Boston Marathon pop-up to three brick and mortar locations in London, Brooklyn and Boston.

Carver’s hiring arrives at a moment when Tracksmith’s in-house footwear has emerged as the label’s “number one category” according to Taylor. He adds that Carver’s time serving senior roles within the heritage footwear label has well-positioned him to address Tracksmith’s future geo-targeted expansion plans. Carver most recently served three years as Converse’s president and CEO. He previously held senior roles overseeing Converse’ European headquarters and its global digital business.

“We can continue to expand across the country because where runners are this brand will be,” said Carver. “But the foundation has to be really strong and well set before we extend the brand beyond the borders where we do business.”

Carver added that during his time leading Converse he re-grounded the footwear brand in sport — evident by the debut of Shai Gilgeous Alexander’s first signature basketball shoe, the Shai-001, last year. Unlike Converse, Carver said that Tracksmith has never lost sight of sport being the focus of the brand. And both Taylor and Carver believe that prioritising performance first is what will distinguish the brand within a competitive market that’s currently oversaturated with brands pitching customers sports apparel that blends style with function.

“Running is having a moment right now, but in 18 months, it may not be. The brands that are grounded in performance and delivering products for the consumer in the best way possible, will stay,” said Taylor.

The brand declined to share revenue figures but Taylor said that even though tariff challenges have impacted the label’s bottom line that its “momentum is strong” and the brand is continuing to grow. Beyond hiring a new CEO, Taylor said he’s excited for Tracksmith to release its first max cushion running sneaker, the Eliot Ryder, this summer. It follows up carbon-plated running sneakers, trail running shoes, and a neutral trainer that Tracksmith first unveiled in 2022.

“The Eliot Ryder bookends the two most commercial areas within the running footwear category,” said Taylor. “So we’re all very bullish that we’ll be able to drive some significant growth once we get that product in the market”

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Editor’s Note: This story was amended on Jan. 28 to clarify Tracksmith’s founders.