There’s a new executive at the helm of North Sails Apparel. Frenchman Cédric Georges has been appointed CEO of the Italian sportswear brand inspired by the world of sailing. It’s an additional top executive role for Georges, formerly the boss of outdoor apparel brand Odlo, who joined North Technology Group in 2024 and is currently also the CEO of Netherlands-based North Actionsports Group, a leader in kiteboarding, windsurfing and wakeboarding equipment.

Georges has already moved to Milan to take up his new role. He replaced Victor Duran (formerly with McKinsey, Amer Sports and Intersport), who left the company in December 2025 after a two-year tenure. 

“I am honoured to step into my new role as president and CEO of North Sails Apparel and North Actionsports Group,” Georges recently posted on his LinkedIn account. “Leading two companies of the North Technology Group, based in two different countries and operating in two distinct industries, will certainly be challenging – and that’s exactly what makes this journey so motivating. On a more personal note, we’ve recently relocated to Milan with my family, embracing this new chapter both professionally and personally. I am grateful for the trust placed in me and truly excited to work alongside our amazing teams to build what’s coming next,” he added.

It’s a crucial challenge for North Sails Apparel, which is distributed via several hundred stores, with Italy as its main market, and is active within as embattled a segment as ready-to-wear. Georges has the opportunity to rebuild on shared principles the two divisions he is in charge of, which together generate a revenue of nearly €150 million.

Their results were consolidated in H1 2025, and they are both subsidiaries of sailmaking giant North Sails, a company founded in California in 1957 by Lowell North. North Sails launched into the ready-to-wear business in 1989, signing a licence deal in Italy. US investment firm Oakley Capital Investments (OCI) bought North Sails in 2014, and subsequently took over the whole North Technology Group business, which in 2022 bought the apparel division operated by Italian sailing specialist Tomasoni Topsail. OCI has indicated that the revenue of the North Sails group grew by 7% in H1 2025, with EBITDA up 11%.