TRUEWERK, the direct-to-consumer performance workwear brand, has appointed Kelsey Kennedy as Chief Marketing Officer.

In 2015, TRUEWERK founder and CEO Brian Ciciora established TRUEWERK to bring emerging fabric technology and technical fits traditionally seen in outdoor apparel to the job site. Following a record-breaking year in 2022 and an investment from Stride Consumer Partners, the first institutional capital the brand had accepted beyond support from an elite group of early investors, TRUEWERK’s leadership team saw the opportunity to expand by bringing on Kelsey Kennedy.

“Kelsey brings a unique experience of growing brands who serve underrepresented segments of the market to our team,” says Ciciora. “TRUEWERK is on a mission to build a large platform and to do so quickly. Kelsey’s sophistication at bringing high-potential brands to scale—including her ability to recruit and retain a team, position a company strategically relative to competition and market needs, and keep up with a high-energy, fast-growing group—will no doubt benefit us in the long run. With her joining to add momentum and keep us on track, we’re adding fuel to the fire.”

With an extensive background building DTC brands, Kennedy most recently delivered accelerated growth as Chief Retail Officer at Dia & Co, the leading destination for women’s plus-size fashion. She developed rich consumer listening programs and revenue-generating initiatives to build a beloved brand and a category-defining marketplace. Prior to Dia & Co, she joined the founding e-commerce team at ZX Ventures, an AB InBev. subsidiary. She is a board member for Rebelstork and an advisor to several early-stage DTC brands. Her latest venture at TRUEWERK will give her a platform for developing an emerging consumer brand and using her mission-driven approach to rally a community whose unique needs are being directly addressed. 

“TRUEWERK recognizes that some of the most important tools a trade professional can have are the ones they wear,” says Kennedy. “Serving this essential group of individuals is the core purpose behind everything the brand does. I look forward to championing our mission to provide the highest-performance workwear on the market and, by doing so, celebrating the people that drive a tangible impact in their communities and beyond. By delivering top-of-the-line products and customer experiences, we can make a real difference in the workwear industry and the everyday lives of trade professionals.”

In this new role, Kennedy will help the breakout workwear brand evolve its marketing strategy, leading the group’s creative, branding, and e-commerce efforts and helping to bring TRUEWERK to new audiences on its growth trajectory.