Precor® has announced the appointment of Derek Burke as EMEA regional commercial director. Burke’s appointment follows the imminent retirement of current president Paul Byrne, and Rob Barker’s subsequent appointment as Precor’s new president.
Burke joined the fitness industry in 2003, working as sales and marketing manager with one of Precor’s distribution partners, the KAAS group in the Middle East, and since 2006 has worked directly for Precor. He moves from his current position as sales director for Precor’s highly successful EMEA Export business, which he has held since 2009, to take up the responsibilities of EMEA regional commercial director.
During his time at Precor, Burke has been instrumental in leading the extraordinary growth of Precor’s EMEA Export business — which covers areas including the Nordics, Russia, the Middle East and Africa — managing and developing a growing, multi-disciplined team, across multiple territories.
Burke’s new role is based at parent group Amer Sports UK offices, although Burke will spend considerable time travelling to other key Precor and Amer offices within EMEA markets, as part of his remit to further develop the business.
“These are extremely exciting times for Precor, where significant investment in research and development in recent years has led to heightened levels of growth and customer satisfaction,” said Burke. “I’m extremely honored to now lead the strategic direction of the EMEA business.”
Barker, the new President of Precor, said: “Precor has a long and established track record of team development and succession planning. Derek’s skills and experience will be a tremendous asset to driving the business forward in this region.”