Joy Allen-Altimare and her daughter, Ella, who is the power beside her.
Courtesy: Joy Allen-Altimare
In a sneaker market dominated by global giants, Saucony has staged one of the most impressive comebacks in the athletic industry. Once a heritage running brand known mostly to performance purists, it has become a growth engine for its parent company, Wolverine Worldwide, delivering 29.6% revenue growth in the first quarter of 2025.
Saucony reported nearly $130 million in quarterly sales, with double-digit growth in North America, a two-fold increase in the Asia-Pacific region, and a 40% year-over-year increase in China retail sales.
While the metrics tell the analytical side of the turnaround story, the human side is based, in part, on a marketing vision led by Chief Marketing Officer Joy Allen-Altimare, and a belief that leadership should be rooted in empathy, mentorship, and giving back.
Joy Allen-Altimare spent over two decades helping legacy brands rediscover relevance. Before joining Saucony, she held senior roles in advertising, shaping campaigns for consumer brands across various categories, including L’Oreal, Verizon, and Colgate-Palmolive. She also worked at Condé Nast, where she gained a deep understanding of consumer storytelling. That strategic brain — part scientist, part storyteller — is the secret sauce she brought to Saucony.
Over the past year, she has delivered a unifying brand ethos, “Run As One,” that helps consumers see the connection across the brand’s global activations from London to Tokyo. And it is that mantra that is connecting product to person to community to build brand strength.
Joy, second from left, is seen on stage with a group of her contemporaries at the Female Quotient activation
Courtesy: Joy Allen-Altimare
Leadership Rooted In Community
Outside of the office, it’s Joy’s emphasis on mentorship, empathy, and social impact that is core to her leadership philosophy. That perspective was shaped in part during her years at Girls Preparatory School (GPS), where she was one of only a few students of color in her class. Yet she remembered being welcomed with warmth and encouraged to embrace both ambition and authenticity. It’s in that vein that she often credits female mentors for instilling the confidence to lead rooms with both grace and authority.
Today, Joy pays that lesson forward by mentoring young professionals and working with her greatest inspiration, her daughter, Ella. “All of this I do for her,” she explains. “She gave me a greater capacity for love and forgiveness — lessons I bring into every part of my life. Watching Ella move through the world with curiosity, courage, and compassion inspires me to lead with grace, to mentor generously, and to make sure that every space I’m in I consciously create room for others to thrive.”
Joy, second from the right, speaking at a recent iHeart event.
Courtesy: Joy Allen-Altimare
Allen-Altimare’s leadership values reflect a dual mission: to elevate globally while maintaining community connectivity. It’s that balancing act that mirrors her personal philosophy.
In the competitive world of athletic footwear and apparel, where market share is often measured in tenths of a percent, Saucony’s surge is remarkable. And its renewed momentum along with Joy Allen-Altimare’s marketing leadership reflect a broader truth: sustainable growth can thrive alongside purpose, mentorship, and community engagement. Proving that success shines brightest when it fuels brand progress and human possibility. And innovation, paired with integrity and growth, coupled with generosity, may be the secret sauce to a successful bottom line—both at work and in your personal life.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/dougmelville/2025/10/21/from-performance-to-purpose-meet-the-cmo-redefining-brand-growth-through-balance/
