Marc S. Scepi
New York, NY | (917) 826-1203 | marcscepi@gmail.com
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Senior footwear and product leader with 25+ years of experience creating brand strategy into commercially successful product plans across men's, women's, sport, lifestyle, and innovation-driven categories. I am known for pairing my creative vision with strategic planning to improve margins, accelerate speed to market, build cross-functional alignment, and drive growth across design, development, sourcing, merchandising, marketing, and wholesale channels. I bring a successful track record of leading multi-category teams, improving product and business performance, and introducing new tools and processes, including AI design and marketing ideas, to increase productivity.
CORE SKILLS
Product Strategy & Execution Consumer Trend & Competitive Analysis
Cross Category Leadership Global Sourcing & Cost Engineering
Business Performance & Margin Management FOB Optimisation
Footwear Merchandising & Line Architecture Cross-Functional Team Leadership
Product Lifecycle Management Team Development & Mentorship
Wholesale Expansion Strategy Innovation & Process Improvement
Speed to Market Optimisation AI Design & Marketing Workflows
SKU Productivity & Assortment Planning Photorealistic CAD Visualisation / GTM Storytelling
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Vice President of Global Design, Development and Production
GREATS Brooklyn | New York, NY | 2022 - Present
• Lead product creation, development, and production strategy across footwear and lifestyle categories, partnering cross-functionally with merchandising, sourcing, marketing, and executive leadership to align product decisions with brand and business goals.
• Improved gross margin by 3-5% by reengineering the production process, shifting to Portugal-based local components, reducing FOB, and redesigning packaging with a lower-cost mailable box that decreased shipping expense.
• Spearheaded, with the executive team, a wholesale expansion model on pace to reach $1M by the end of the year, opening new opportunities across department stores, independent retailers, and strategic online partners.
• Integrated multiple AI tools into design and marketing workflows to create photorealistic CADs, accelerate concept communication, and improve productivity across product storytelling and presentations.
• Implemented a detailed SOW and milestone calendar spanning product creation, development, and factory execution, improving cross-functional alignment and supporting faster, more reliable delivery to market.
• Evolved, repositioned and relaunched GREATS as a broader lifestyle brand, expanding market relevance while improving product quality, operational consistency, and team collaboration.
Vice President of SRGN Academy and Product Development
The Shoe Surgeon | Los Angeles, CA | 2020 - 2022
• Directed product development and education strategy for the SRGN footwear and accessories business, connecting design with the appropriate sourcing.
• Created and launched an intensive 4-day design and product development class to strengthen a student’s understanding of footwear design, development and innovation.
• Supported brand growth by launching SRGN NYC retail space in downtown Seaport and expanding our customisation workshops to the East Coast, increasing partnerships, engagement, and revenue opportunities.
Head of Phygital Product and Development
Blank Soles | San Francisco, CA | 2021 - 2023
• Built an innovation-led product model connecting physical footwear with digital ownership, NFTs, and blockchain-enabled consumer experiences.
• Developed the SNKRTOPIA project on Solana, helping establish an innovative early market position in phygital footwear and new consumer engagement models.
• Bridged design, development, storytelling, and technology partners to translate emerging strategy into commercially relevant product concepts.
Founder and Lead Consultant
Radix Lab | New York, NY | 2016 - 2022
• Advise brands on footwear strategy, product creation, market launches, sourcing, development, and go-to-market planning across men's, women's, and lifestyle categories.
• Develop product line plans and commercial strategies that improve brand positioning, product alignment, and execution with factory partners.
ADDITIONAL LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE
Senior Vice President of Design - S3 Holding LLC (2014 - 2016): Led a team of 4 designers and built the S3 business to be $3M in its first year sales through a multi-brand strategy.
Merchandising / Design Director of Footwear - Global Brands Group (2012 - 2014): Managed a $200M segment, led a 9-person design team, and supported major private label retail partnerships.
Design Director - Auri Footwear (2006 - 2012): Launched a comfort-lifestyle footwear brand that achieved rapid growth and IPO status within three years.
Leadership roles - Saucony, Timberland, TEVA, New Balance, le coq sportif (1996 - 2005): Advanced through product and design leadership roles across performance, outdoor, and lifestyle footwear.
EDUCATION
Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, MA - Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design
Associate in Architectural Engineering
TECHNOLOGY
Adobe Illustrator, Procreate, Microsoft Office, AI-enabled design and marketing tools, photorealistic concept visualisation workflows, and presentation development platforms.