Columbia Sportswear Company and Swire Resources Limited Announce Appointment of Jason Zhu as General Manager of China Joint Venture

PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Joint venture partners Columbia Sportswear Company COLM, and Swire Resources Limited, a subsidiary of Swire Pacific Limited (HKEX: 00019 / 00087), today announced the appointment of Jason Zhu as general manager of their China joint venture – Columbia Sportswear Commercial (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.

Zhu will assume responsibility for all go-to-market functions, including apparel, footwear and accessories product and marketing, as well as wholesale, direct retail, and e-commerce channel development.

He has spent the past 13 years with Nike, Inc., serving in Shanghai as Senior Strategic Account Director, Senior Marketplace Management Director, and Action Sports Category General Manager, and as Global Category Business Development Director for the Jordan® brand while based at global HQ. A native of Shanghai, Jason began his business career with Proctor & Gamble after graduating from Fudan University.

"We welcome Jason to the Columbia team and are confident that his proven leadership and experience in the China sportswear market will be invaluable as we continue to invest in the significant long-term opportunities we see for the Columbia brand," said Columbia CEO Tim Boyle.

Zhu added, "Columbia Sportswear and Swire Resources have built a solid foundation on which to grow. I am honored and energized by the opportunity to join the company at this important time as we seek to extend its legacy of leadership in the China market."

About Columbia Sportswear Company

Columbia Sportswear Company has assembled a portfolio of brands that connect active people with their passions, making it a leader in the global active lifestyle apparel, footwear, accessories, and equipment industry. Founded in 1938 in Portland, Oregon, the company's brands are today sold in approximately 100 countries. In addition to the Columbia® brand, Columbia Sportswear Company also owns the Sorel®, Mountain Hardwear®, prAna®, Montrail®, and OutDry® brands. To learn more, please visit the company's websites at www.columbia.com, www.mountainhardwear.com, www.sorel.com, www.prana.com, www.montrail.com, and www.outdry.com.

About Swire Resources Limited

Swire Resources Limited is a subsidiary of Swire Pacific Limited, one of Hong Kong's leading listed companies with diversified interests in five operating divisions: Property, Aviation, Beverages, Marine Services, and Trading & Industrial. Swire Resources acts as the holding company for extensive retail and wholesale interests in sports and lifestyle footwear and apparel. The company operates over 200 retail locations in Hong Kong and Mainland China, primarily consisting of single brand concept stores and three multi-brand sports and casual retail chains: Marathon Sports, GigaSports, and Catalog stores. Marathon Sports, being first opened in the early 1980s, is Hong Kong's largest sportswear retail chain. Swire Pacific's operations are predominantly based in the Greater China region, where the name Swire has been established for 150 years.

Forward-Looking Statements

This document contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements regarding anticipated and potential growth. The company's expectations, beliefs, and projections are expressed in good faith and are believed to have a reasonable basis; however, each forward-looking statement involves a number of risks and uncertainties, including those described in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, under the heading "Risk Factors," and other risks and uncertainties that have been or may be described from time to time in other reports filed by the company, including reports on Form 8-K, Form 10-Q, and Form 10-K. The company cautions that forward-looking statements are inherently less reliable than historical information. The company does not undertake any duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this document to conform them to actual results or to reflect changes in events, circumstances, or its expectations. New factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for the company to predict all such factors, nor can it assess the impact of each such factor or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement.

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