Keith Sedgwick: Global Leader in Footwear Innovation & Commercialization | Technical Development | Quality & Cost Management | Athlete Collaboration in Oceanside, California

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Keith Sedgwick

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Global Leader in Footwear Innovation & Commercialization | Technical Development | Quality & Cost Management | Athlete Collaboration
Oceanside | US
Skills
  • Operations Management
  • Product Discovery
  • Professional Mentoring
  • Product Creation
  • Telecommunications
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Interests
Hiking
Golf
Food
Body surfing
Coaching
Industries
Skate
Streetwear
Surf
Golf
Fashion
Lifestyle
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Work experience
Image PUMA North America

PUMA North America

Senior Developer - Golf Footwear | 05/2014 - 06/2025

Led end-to-end footwear product development across performance and lifestyle categories, from early concept through commercial production Served as the senior escalation point for complex product, construction, tooling, and manufacturing decisions, ensuring design intent translated seamlessly into scalable production Spent extensive time on-the-ground in Asia, embedded with factories, suppliers, and liaison offices to strengthen cross-cultural alignment and execution reliability Developed bespoke footwear as performance equipment for elite PGA Tour athletes, capturing precise in-competition feedback that informed product improvements for the broader golfing market, including footwear for everyday golfers to Enjoy Golf Applied deep factory, supplier, and sourcing knowledge to identify and mitigate product and manufacturing risk before line freeze or production commitment Mentored internal development, design, and product teams, fostering pattern recognition and decision-making rigor to prevent costly downstream errors Developed cross-functional alignment with design, marketing, sourcing, and testing teams, ensuring both commercial success and athlete/end-user satisfaction This role represents the culmination of years of building factory-informed judgment, process discipline, and cross-functional leadership—experience I now bring to brands in a fractional development capacity.
Image adidas

adidas

Manager Footwear Development Basketball | 08/2011 - 04/2014

Led development for performance basketball footwear within adidas’ highly structured, process-driven product creation system Combined deep manufacturing and supplier expertise with structured development cadence to improve decision quality Built fluency in adidas’ end-to-end product creation process, learning how disciplined cadence, milestones, and cross-functional alignment can accelerate decision-making at scale Developed a basketball product from the ground up that became the most automation-driven footwear product in company history, enabling a significantly lower price point and massive volume This program replaced a legacy icon that transitioned from performance basketball into the Originals business, requiring a fundamentally new approach to construction, tooling, and manufacturing efficiency Worked directly with elite NBA and NCAA athletes to develop player-exclusive and signature footwear, translating on-court feedback and performance data into product decisions Supported marquee athlete programs including Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard, Tim Duncan, Tracy McGrady, and top NCAA programs such as UCLA, Kansas, Notre Dame, Louisville, Tennessee, and Texas A&M
Image Stride Rite

Stride Rite

Costing Manager | 04/2009 - 07/2011

Costing Manager Costing Manager Stride Rite · Full-timeStride Rite · Full-time Apr 2009 - Jul 2011 · 2 yrs 4 mosApr 2009 to Jul 2011 · 2 yrs 4 mos Lexington, MA · On-siteLexington, MA · On-site Led the development of a transparent, BOM-based full-transparency footwear costing framework at a time when cost structures were largely opaque and assumption-driven Built bottom-up costing models grounded in a deep understanding of how factories, suppliers, and vertically integrated manufacturing groups actually operate Worked directly with manufacturing partners to break down materials, components, tooling, molds, labor, overhead, and margin into fully visible cost structures Gained firsthand insight into vertically integrated factory bases—such as Yu Yen—where component production, molds, and final assembly are costed and managed internally This role gave me a factory-accurate lens on cost—one I continue to apply when guiding early development and sourcing decisions.
Image Five Corners Consulting

Five Corners Consulting

Development Director | 12/2007 - 04/2009

Co-founded and operated a consulting LLC supporting consumer brands across branding, product, and go-to-market strategy Delivered footwear-specific consulting for global brands, supporting sample development, sourcing, and costing in close partnership with Asia-based factories Leveraged long-standing relationships with Asia-based sourcing partners in Dongguan to support rapid sample making, factory alignment, and cost optimization
Image Brown Shoe Company

Brown Shoe Company

Line Builder - Product Development Consultant | 06/2008 - 11/2008

Engaged as a short-term Product Development Lead supporting private-label footwear programs for major big-box retail partners Worked within a first-cost development model, operating as both product creator and sourcing agent on behalf of retailers Led development across multiple customers simultaneously, each with distinct cost targets, quality expectations, and speed-to-market requirements Partnered closely with Asia-based factories and sourcing teams to align design intent with aggressive cost, margin, and timeline constraints Developed a deep understanding of how development decisions shift when brands do not own retail, margin, or inventory risk This experience expanded my perspective on footwear development—shaping how I now adapt leadership approach based on business model, cost structure, and customer.
Image Skechers USA, Inc.

Skechers USA, Inc.

Product Development Technician | 02/2003 - 12/2007

Transitioned from Commercialization into Product Development to influence footwear decisions earlier in the creation process Applied deep, factory-based experience from Asia to early development decisions across materials, construction, tooling, and fit Acted as a bridge between design, development, sourcing, and manufacturing teams Identified manufacturability, fit, and tooling risks early—before line freeze and production commitment Helped align design intent with production realities to reduce downstream rework and delays This transition marked a shift toward influencing product outcomes earlier—where experience has the greatest impact
Image Skechers USA, Inc.

Skechers USA, Inc.

Director of Commercialization | 02/2000 - 07/2003

Advanced from hands-on production and quality roles into senior commercialization leadership Spent extended periods based in Asia, embedded with factories, suppliers, and liaison offices during critical development and production phases Worked directly on the factory floor and with vendor teams to ensure footwear programs were production-ready at scale Led fit, testing, and quality processes to support consistent commercial output Developed a practical, factory-informed view of how product decisions impact manufacturability, yield, and cost This experience became the backbone of my development philosophy: design and develop with production realities in mind
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1501 Lincoln Blvd.#1014 Venice, CA. 90291