Dr. Martens appoints Adidas VP as chief brand officer

Footwear brand Dr. Martens has appointed Carla Murphy as the company’s new chief brand officer (CBO) to lead the company’s global brand organisation.

Murphy will assume her new role at Dr. Martens on 1 July 2025 and will be based in London.

In her new role, she will be responsible for driving the company’s brand strategy, vision and creative direction, and will oversee its global product, strategy, marketing, and sustainability divisions. 

She will join Dr. Martens’ global leadership team and will report to CEO Ije Nwokorie, previously CBO. 

Murphy will also lead a team, recently strengthened with senior executives across creative direction, product design, category management and marketing.

With over 20 years of brand building and enterprise management experience, Murphy has expertise in multiple industries, channels and categories across lifestyle and performance footwear and apparel. 

She joins Dr. Martens from Adidas AG, where she served as global senior vice president/general manager for Adidas Outdoor, based at the Adidas HQ, Germany.  

In this role, Murphy was responsible for the end-to-end strategy, management and execution globally for the outdoor category, which included Adidas Terrex and Five Ten – the brand’s outdoor sports and technical footwear, apparel and accessories propositions.  

She previously also served as the global chief brand and product officer for lifestyle merino brand Icebreaker, part of VF Corporation, and has held senior brand and product positions across brands within the Amer Sports group (Nikita, Salomon, Atomic, Arc’teryx etc.). 

Murphy’s appointment follows several key senior hires to further strengthen Dr. Martens’ brand, product and creative teams. 

These include Neil Cummings, creative director for Global Brand Studio, Emma Howarth, category director, Adam Owen, global design director and Paul Bowyer, global brand marketing director. 

Murphy said: “Dr. Martens is an incredibly iconic brand, steeped in decades of creativity, individualism and self-expression. It has cultivated a passionate community and a devoted loyal consumer base, which I have long admired.

“Joining the team and the brand at this moment is incredibly exciting, the ambition and energy is high, and there is a tremendous opportunity in this next chapter to break new ground and connect with an even wider audience in a truly meaningful and culturally relevant way. I can’t wait to get started.”

Ije Nwokorie, chief executive officer of Dr. Martens, added: “Our brand is our most important asset, and I’m thrilled that Carla is joining to lead the brand organisation. Carla is an exceptional leader with a proven track record for using bold storytelling and fearless creativity to drive growth for world-renowned brands, and she will do amazing work with our immensely talented brand and creative teams. Every one of us in the leadership team is looking forward to her partnership.”