David Kahan

David Kahan has built a long career in sporting goods, athletic apparel, and footwear, beginning as a part‑time sales associate at Macy’s while in college. After graduating, he completed Macy’s Executive Training Program and became the company’s first-ever Athletic Footwear Buyer. As he likes to say, he “went from working 15 hours a week in the store to 15 hours a DAY.” He launched the Macy’s Athletic Club, helping Macy’s become the largest department store retailer of athletic footwear, apparel, and accessories in the U.S.; that success was covered in national outlets including the New York Times.

Hired by Nike, Kahan became one of the company’s youngest managers and helped implement a strategic accounts management process that became an industry standard. He later served as Head of Reebok North America, managing a $1.6 billion business and participating in the leadership team through the company’s acquisition by the Adidas Group in 2006. He then contributed to the integration of the organizations and assumed leadership responsibility for Rockport, which introduced him to the brown‑shoe market.

In 2013 Kahan took responsibility for Birkenstock in the U.S. He says, “We are the stewards of a brand that is now over 240 years old and dates back to a small village in Germany. In a world where fast fashion has become so widely accepted, we are the polar opposite — we remain steadfast in our commitment to quality, handmade engineering, and the values that are consistent with a fine German‑manufactured brand. We never compromise our brand values and we believe consumers are drawn to us because they share an emotional connection with our amazing brand and our products which give them healthy benefits.”

Kahan is now Chief Executive Officer of Birkenstock Americas and is widely credited with helping drive the brand’s recent breakthrough. He serves on the boards of the FDRA (Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America), the Two Ten Foundation, and FFaNY (Fashion Footwear Association of New York).