Dave Powers
Former President & CEO, Deckers Brands. On 1 show, 1 appearance. The Shows tab opens the full record on each.
executiveoperatorLinkedIn ↗deckers.com ↗
Dave Powers served as President and CEO of Deckers Brands from 2016 until 2024, steering the global expansion and explosive revenue growth of flagship brands HOKA and UGG. Before his tenure at Deckers, he held executive merchandising and retail leadership positions at Converse and Timberland.
1shows
1appearances
44statements
11resolved
7supported
1contradicted
64%fully supported
Everything Dave Powers said on any show that made the record, most notable first. Each card names its show and opens the statement there.
Dave Powers: Abercrombie and Gap lost equity when over-distribution made them ubiquitous
“And so I think when you start looking at Abercrombie and American Eagle and, you know, even gap at that time, It was the hot new thing until it wasn't. When it wasn't, it's because it was showing up on everybody all over the place. It became ubiquitous. There …”
Powers: Young brands risk being short-lived without legacy archives to rely on
“I think it's really the legacy brands, you know, newer brands, they don't have that longevity or the history, the archives that a lot of these luxury brands do, and they can reach back to their history as a way to go forward. If you're a young brand and you do…”
Deckers is actively seeking a buyer for Sanuk
“We just announced that we're going to you'll look for a buyer for one of our brands to nook.”
Powers: Teva offers higher global awareness and margins than potential acquisitions
“And honestly, when we looked at Teva and compared to all these, you know, these brands that we could have potentially purchased, Teva has the best global awareness. It has the best margins.”
Dave Powers: Strava founders had no ambition to be acquired
“You know, I had conversations with the founders there a couple of times not in that context, but just getting to know them and, you know, our brands partnering. And, you know, I know for them, they had really, I don't think they had any ambitions of being acqu…”
Powers: Hoka delivers Deckers' highest initial margin, followed by UGG
“Initial margin is Hoka. But UGG is a close second. I mean, they're both very, very healthy in the industry.”
Powers: Brands built on Instagram impulse buys cannot survive long-term
“Great product, great brand, meaningful to consumers will outlast the marketing spend. If your brand and your product is interesting for a moment because you saw it on Instagram feed and you clicked through and you bought it, and then you kind of forget about i…”
Powers: Hoka customers buy two to three pairs per year
“When we used to sell UGG Once every two or three years, a 160 dollar price point. Now we're selling Hoka two to three times a year at a 160 dollars set price point.”
Powers: Deckers avoids consumer-facing corporate branding, focusing Deckers name on investors
“Well, you know, we're holding company for the brands, right? We're not expecting or trying to get consumers to know Deckers. That's not our goal. We want investors to know Deckers, and they do, but we're not pushing the Decker's name to consumers.”
Powers: Frequent promotions can obscure an unfulfilling work environment
“I mean, I've been that consumer. I mean, I've been that employee in the past where I, you know, my early days at Gap, I was getting promoted quite often. That was the culture we were growing. For me, it fogged the fact that I hated the work environment. And I …”
Powers: Timberland Required All Non-Footwear Products to Match Original Boot Standards
“Every product we make is a boot, whether it's a jacket or a backpack or a pair of jeans. And What he meant was everything has to have the same qualities as our original boot that the company was founded on. It's durable. It's quality. It's, you know, a high le…”
Powers: Direct-to-consumer is Deckers' most profitable channel
“Our DDC channel is our most profitable channel, right? Margin and profit.”
Powers: Hoka rejects more wholesale retail accounts than it accepts
“We say no to more, you know, more accounts than we say yes to.”
Dave Powers: 2023 UTMB and Ironman Champions Both Competed in Hoka
“The winner of the ultra marathon, the UTMB at the ultra marathon, but the ultra trail Montblanc and Chamonix, you know, the winner of that race was wearing Hoka. And two weeks later, the winner of the Ironman championships in Nice was wearing Hoka.”
Powers: Most late-stage Ironman finishers wear Hoka shoes
“From 11 to midnight at the Ironman championships where the last finishers are coming in, you know, some of them have disabilities, some of them are 70 plus and older, and most of those people are wearing Hoka.”
Dave Powers: Oprah's endorsement triggered 5 years of intense UGG demand
“At that time, yes. Oh yeah. I mean, they were chasing business. It was a freight strain, and they were just trying to keep up for a good five years.”
Powers: Deckers operates at an 18% operating profit margin
“You know, the good news is we have very healthy profit margins. You know, we're in 18 Percent operating profit.”
Powers: Footwear margins average 10-12%, while Crocs achieves high twenties
“Above 10% is, is healthy, probably average 10 to 12. And, you know, so you have folks out there like Crocs, which is, you know, high twenties.”
Powers: Deckers is developing a loyalty and auto-delivery program for Hoka
“And we need the loyalty program that you can get automatic deliveries or the next big launch earlier or special treatment as a loyalty member. And that's something we're working on.”
Dave Powers: Deckers' best decision was reallocating capital to Hoka and Ugg in 2016
“You know, what myself and the finance leaders at the time did in 16 and 17 would say, actually, no, you don't all need that money. These two things need that money. And we're going to reset. That was the biggest reallocation success that we had.”
One line per show, most statements first. The link opens Dave's full record on that show: the calibration, argument clarity, speaking style and every statement made there.
| Show | Role there | Eps | Statements | Record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 20VCLEDGER | Former President & CEO, Deckers Brands | 1 | 44 | 64% 7/11 | full record on 20VC → |