Petzl America names Mark Givens as Sports Division Manager

CLEARFIELD, Utah (July 17, 2007) – Petzl, a leading manufacturer of climbing gear and Hands-Free Lighting solutions, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Givens as Petzl America’s Sport Division Manager.

Mark will serve as sales manager for Petzl’s outdoor retail business: managing the sport sales reps and overseeing the sport product line in North America. He replaces Jon Rockefeller, who has moved to France to be the international Sport Product Manager for Petzl.

“Mark will be a great fit for Petzl’s Sport Division,” says John Pieper, Petzl America Sales Director. “His educational background combined with his sales and marketing management experience and his passion for climbing make him a perfect person to assume this important role for Petzl,” he continues. “I am excited to have such a talented individual join our team and look forward to a great new chapter in Petzl America’s business.”

Mark comes most recently from managing product, sales and marketing for a global, high technology graphic arts company. Previous to that, he guided for Jackson Hole Mountain Guides and worked in a small publishing start-up. He has an MBA from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

Mark’s varied climbing background, which began more than 20 years ago in the Tetons, has taken him to destinations in Europe, South America and all over the US. He is also an active committee member in the American Alpine Club.

“I’m honored and excited to be joining such a fantastic organization,” says Mark. “I’ve spent the last ten years out of the industry and I’m thrilled to come back to it with a company I have respected and admired since I was a young climber. Petzl is an amazing brand, and I look forward to putting all my efforts into contributing to the Sport Division.”

Petzl America is the U.S. division of Petzl, headquartered in France. For over 50 years, Petzl has been developing innovative tools and techniques used by those entering the vertical world. Today, the Petzl brand is closely associated with adventure, exploration, rescue, and many notable exploits in the worlds of rock climbing and alpinism. Petzl’s line of headlamps and climbing equipment has won numerous Editors’ Choice awards from leading outdoor industry publications, including the 2006 Backpacker’s Editors’ Choice Award for the TIKKA XP headlamp. Petzl products can be found in outdoor specialty shops and premium sporting goods retailers around the world. For more information go to http://www.petzl.com.