New Balance has a new leader for its North American business.
The athletic brand said Thursday that Tracy Knauer has been promoted to senior vice president, North America.
Knauer has over 20 years’ experience at New Balance, with roles that span marketing, product, sales and direct-to-consumer. She joined the company in 2005 and was most recently vice president, North American marketing, e-commerce and consumer analytics.
“Tracy is an experienced industry leader with a deep understanding of our business, our brand and our consumer,” said Joe Preston, New Balance president and chief executive officer. “She is a talented and team-focused executive who embraces our brand’s core values and will drive continued momentum for our North American region.”
Knauer said the new role reflects her strong commitment to the brand and valued partners in the region. “We have an incredible North American team and together we will continue to drive meaningful growth, innovation and opportunity for the brand and the business.”
The executive noted that New Balance plans to stay “relentlessly focused on being the most premium, boutique athletic brand in the world.”
She added, “We will continue to have a genuine point of view, stay true to our brand values, and tell stories that evoke human emotion. We celebrate being the brand that is having the most fun and inspiring the most fun, and it’s this joy that remains at the heart of our work.”
New Balance’s DNA is in running, and Knauer said the company is focused on “continuous growth” in the category, which includes innovating to ensure it is “ahead of emerging technology” to enable all runners — from the everyday jogger to elite racers — to be their very best.
“We also have significant opportunities to grow our basketball, global football, and American football categories, which we are focused on commercializing. With athletes like Tyrese Maxey, Cooper Flagg, and Kawhi Leonard, we have huge momentum,” Knauer noted.
The brand’s resonance with the younger consumer remains strong, and the goal is to deepen those relationships. Moreover, when it comes to female athletes, “New Balance does not view women’s sports as a subcategory — it’s central to our vision. Women’s sports are proving over and over to drive energy, culture, and innovation, and consumers are excited to engage,” Knauer said. “Our roster is strong with world-class athletes like Coco Gauff, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Cameron Brink and Michelle Cooper. They each embody New Balance’s fearlessly independent ethos and transcend the worlds of sport and culture, on and off the court or field.”
Finally, the the brand has opportunity for growth in apparel. The executive said that in the coming months, there will be more pieces hitting the market that are “unmistakably New Balance, giving the consumer even more of that head-to-toe fit that they crave from us.”
Knauer’s predecessor, Melissa Worth, departed the brand in December. A few weeks later, she revealed her new role at Abercrombie & Fitch as executive vice president and managing director for the Americas.
New Balance continues to see impressive growth in North America, with sales up 20 percent in 2025. The winning streak continued across the board: Overall sales hit $9.2 billion, a 19 percent rise from 2024 levels.
