This interview was recorded prior to Jan-Willem Driessen leaving Black Diamond Equipment for a new role in January 2020.

In episode 233 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Jan-Willem Driessen, former vice president of global marketing and direct-to-consumer at Black Diamond Equipment, a global retailer specializing in climbing, hiking and skiing apparel and equipment. Listen in as Driessen discusses Black Diamond Equipment's growing direct-to-consumer business, its transition away from being a primarily wholesale brand, and why the brand is changing its focus to D-to-C. He shares the challenges Black Diamond has faced when transitioning to D-to-C, and how a partnership with customer data platform Lexer helped to solve some of these challenges by allowing the brand to gain data insights into its customers and execute targeted, segmented marketing campaigns. Driessen explains how customers engage with Black Diamond across a variety of channels, the brand's customer acquisition and retention strategies, and its future plans to improve its use of data in marketing campaigns.

Jan-Willem Driessen is the former vice president of global marketing and direct-to-consumer at Black Diamond Equipment. He has spent eight years living and working in the United States, relocating from his home in the Netherlands in 2012, while leading marketing at 5.11 Tactical. Prior to Black Diamond and 5.11 Tactical, he held roles at Thieme Group, Architectenweb, and Tornado Marine Fleet. He is an experienced marketing professional with a demonstrated history of working in the retail industry, skilled in marketing management, strategy, advertising, e-commerce, product development, retail, and digital marketing.