Ruth Heenan
A highly skilled footwear focused professional, with a strong background in building and managing teams within product strategy, development and design. Proven ability in creating innovative and performance based footwear, most recently within high profile collaboration projects. Thorough knowledge of sustainable practice and materials for footwear. Ability to work well under pressure and meet tight timescales on multiple projects simultaneously with excellent attention to detail. Strong presentation skills, with experience working on camera, on stage and voice over. Core Competencies: Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) | Footwear Creation + Development | Go-to-Market Strategy | Collaboration Management | Cross-Functional Leadership | Trend Forecasting + Consumer Insights | Vendor + Factory Engagement Pricing, Margin + Volume Strategy | Change Management Technical Skills: Adobe Suite | Google Suite | Microsoft Office | PLM Systems | Miro | Smartsheet | Claude AI
- Lead product strategist for all footwear collaborations 2020-2026. - Responsible for initial set up of Special Projects department. - Main stakeholder for collaboration across several teams: product, supply chain, quality, customs, marketing, sales and merchandising. - Building calendar structure for collaboration projects, and creating critical path. - Strong presenting skills further developed through product and strategy sign offs with C-Suite and Founders. - Set up and development of creative workshops specific to collaboration projects. - Showcasing, presenting and educating on product ranges throughout PFW Showrooms and Global Sales Meetings. - Team leader, coach and mentor. Main Projects: - LOEWE SS22 - SS26 - PAF SS24 - FW25 - ZENDAYA + TWIGS - BEAMS + BODEGA + PLEASURES + KITH etc.
- Responsible for 35% of the business working on best selling franchise: Cloud. As well as the first new lifestyle franchises for On including THE ROGER, Cloudnova and Cloudaway. - Responsible for set up of Lifestyle Strategy, Product Briefing, Customer Profiles, Launch planning, Tiering and Seasonal roll outs. - Strong collaboration with sales and marketing teams. - Creation of processes for cross collaboration with supply chain, quality, and customs. - Creation and running of design workshops. - Showcasing and educating on product throughout KA Sell-Ins and Global Sales Meetings. - Strong communication skills working with factories and suppliers across Asia.
- Focus on women’s franchises including: FALCON + YUNG / GAZELLE / SAMBA / STAN / SUPERSTAR. - Strong focus on sustainability: the point person for environmentally preferred materials + practice for the full Originals development team. - Thorough application of cost saving and presenting suggestions on ways to increase product margins within design parameters. - Strong communication skills working with factories and suppliers across Asia and Europe. - Engineering workable prototypes which address desired function, cosmetics, market appeal and manufacturability and meet Adidas quality standards - Support inception of footwear design, components, processes, materials and concepts into manufacturable, marketable finished product - Ensure all materials, processes and development samples are fully tested to ensure adherence to Adidas quality standards - Establish and maintain strong working relationship with cross functional partners
- Focus on mens franchises across the business, including several collaboration projects: BODEGA / ATMOS / LIBERTY / HARRIS TWEED / HALLEY STEVENSON'S - Strong focus on textile and material development with suppliers across Asia and Europe. - Thorough cross-collaboration with technical team to analyse fit and wear. - Showcasing, presenting and educating on product ranges throughout Global Sales Meetings. - Analysing sales to create projections for next season - Strong communication skills working with factories and suppliers across Asia.
- Working on new season samples, patterns and style development - Chosing leathers and clicking pieces for samples and production - Closing sample and production uppers - Lasting and soling of samples - Finishing production and packing for delivery
- Focus on lifestyle franchises, including collaboration projects: CHRISTOPHER SHANNON / COMMES DES GARCONS - Working with the designer to develop themes and ideas for the collection - Working closely with agents in Portugal, China and UK to produce samples for the sales period - Creating specs for prototypes and detailed spreadsheets for factory production - Working to a timeline and creating the critical path - Coordinating the sales catalogue, end consumer catalogue, and website photo shoots - Ensuring production and deliveries are on time - Liaising with sales agents to receive feedback on the sales period - QC point of contact, monitoring faults & testing
- Working with the designer to realise pieces - Clicking, closing and making of footwear - Ordering leather and components for samples and pieces
- Working individually on adjustments to lasts according to the customers’ measurements - Hand skiving leather to develop the last shape - Overseeing last turning and correcting these turned lasts to shape - Detailed foot measuring for new customers - Constantly improving my eye enabling quicker last adjustments and corrections
Working with Ruth was fantastic! She was a footwear development expert and a steward for sustainability within the team. Ruth's work on high fashion and high priority projects like the Sleek and the Falcon were exceptional. She delivered these high pressure and highly visible projects on-time, to quality, design, and cost needs. She's collaborative, communicative, and always brought a radiant and creative energy to the team and any problem.