Velcro Companies announced that Robert W. Woodruff has joined the company as chief financial officer (CFO). He will lead the global finance function as well as group human resources and information technology.

He will work closely with the regional presidents and other members of the Velcro Companies leadership team to sharpen customer focus, improve operating efficiencies, develop and commercialize new products, and identify strategic investments to propel growth.

Fraser Cameron, president and CEO of Velcro Companies, says: “Bob is an exceptionally capable financial and business leader with deep experience in developing a world-class finance function that can support a growing global business. His two decades of experience at NIKE, where he ultimately served as CFO for its Converse brand, brings us valuable insights about creating a dominant global brand across multiple categories and reflects the scale of our ambitions. Importantly, Bob has an engaging personal style and a hands-on approach to building great teams, mentoring colleagues and partnering with business managers.”

Woodruff has more than 25 years of experience in senior finance roles and was most recently CFO for Alex and Ani, a privately held jewelry company based in Rhode Island. Prior to that he served in a variety of finance and strategy roles over a 20-year career at Nike. He was CFO of NIKE’s Affiliate Brands business, including Cole Haan, Umbro, Bauer Hockey, Hurley, and Converse. In 2012, he was named CFO of the Converse business, helping to grow it to more than $3 billion in revenue. Earlier in his career, Woodruff was held various corporate finance roles at RJR Nabisco.