SYLVIA NILES
Villa Park,CA
Summary
Growth-oriented executive with more than two decades of experience leading digital commerce, digital marketing, merchandising, and customer experience for global consumer brands. Proven success leading and growing multi-hundred-million-dollar P&Ls by balancing profitable growth, customer experience, operational excellence, and long-term brand health.
Known for building high-performing teams and partnering across Merchandising, Marketing, Product, Technology, Finance, Operations, Stores, and International to align organizations around a shared vision. I believe the strongest businesses are built together—through transparency, collaboration, and shared accountability—to deliver sustainable, long-term growth.
Recognized for transforming businesses, modernizing digital capabilities, strengthening brands, and delivering measurable financial results through innovation, operational excellence, and people-first leadership. Passionate about developing exceptional teams, fostering a culture of accountability and collaboration, and creating organizations that consistently outperform through empowered people and disciplined execution.
Overview
7
7
years of professional experience
Work History
Vice President | Ecommerce & Digital Marketing
5.11 Tactical
Costa Mesa, CA
03.2025 - Current
- Lead the global Ecommerce and Digital Marketing organization with end-to-end accountability for digital P&L across North America and EMEA, balancing revenue growth, profitability, customer experience, and long-term brand health.
- Partner with the CEO and executive leadership team to shape enterprise growth strategy, establish governance, prioritize investments, and align cross-functional execution across Marketing, Merchandising, Product, Finance, Technology, Operations, and International.
- Expanded organizational leadership beyond Ecommerce to include Digital Marketing, CRM, Merchandising, Analytics, Customer Experience, and Performance Marketing, creating a unified digital organization with shared accountability for business results.
- Built and continue to develop a high-performing global team and operating model that strengthens collaboration, accelerates decision-making, and positions Digital as a strategic growth engine for the business.
- Leading the transformation of the digital business through AI-powered search, personalization, site merchandising, and customer experience innovation, expanding brand relevance while driving profitable, sustainable growth.
- Improved operational discipline through enhanced forecasting, investment governance, performance reporting, and scalable processes that increased organizational alignment and optimized resource allocation
Leadership Development
Calilily Consulting
Villa Park California
05.2024 - 02.2025
- Following an organizational restructuring at Vans, I intentionally took time to invest in professional growth, broaden my perspective through travel and community leadership, deepen my knowledge of emerging technologies, and thoughtfully prepare for my next executive opportunity.
Vice President, Ecommerce
Vans
08.2019 - 05.2024
- Led full P&L for a $500M+ ecommerce business.
- Grew digital revenue from $24M to more than $500M.
- Built and led a 40+ person organization.
- Secured $4.5M investment and delivered $50M+ incremental revenue through Vans Customs.
Education
B.A. - Fashion Merchandising
Illinois State University
Skills
Enterprise Leadership
P&L Leadership Enterprise Growth Strategy Organizational Transformation Executive Partnership Global Team Leadership Cross-Functional Leadership
Digital & Consumer Growth
Digital Commerce Digital Marketing Consumer Growth International Ecommerce AI-Powered Commerce Customer Experience
Business Transformation
Merchandising Strategy Data & Analytics CRM & Lifecycle Marketing Omnichannel Strategy Operational Excellence Investment & Capital Planning
Accomplishments
VF Innovation Award
Recognized for leading enterprise digital innovation that transformed Vans Customs into a scalable business and customer experience differentiator, driving meaningful commercial growth and elevating the brand's digital capabilities.
Gold ADDY Award
Honored for award-winning digital creativity and customer experience innovation that redefined the Vans Customs experience and set a new standard for customization in the industry.
Vans Leadership Excellence Award (Internally known as the "Give a Shit" Award)
Recognized for servant leadership, building high-performing teams, developing talent, and fostering a collaborative, people-first culture that strengthened organizational performance.
Languages
Spanish
Native or Bilingual
Interests
Outside of work, you'll most often find me bringing people together—whether around the dinner table, exploring new places, or celebrating life's milestones with family and friends I believe relationships are built through shared experiences, and that investing in people is one of the most meaningful ways to create lasting impact That belief extends naturally into my leadership, where trust, collaboration, and developing others are at the center of how I build teams and drive results
Timeline
Vice President | Ecommerce & Digital Marketing
5.11 Tactical
03.2025 - Current
Leadership Development
Calilily Consulting
05.2024 - 02.2025
Vice President, Ecommerce
Vans
08.2019 - 05.2024
B.A. - Fashion Merchandising
Illinois State University
EXECUTIVE SNAPSHOT
- Revenue Growth $24M → $500M+
- Capital Investment $4.5M
- Incremental Revenue $50M+
- Global Scope North America + EMEA
- Leadership 40+ Person Team
- Ownership Multi-Hundred-Million P&L
- Expertise Ecommerce + Marketing
- Focus Transformation
EXECUTIVE IMPACT
Scaled a Digital Business from $24M to $500M+ Turned Innovation into a $50M Growth Platform Transforming Digital into an Enterprise Growth Engine
Transformed Vans' ecommerce business into one of the industry's leading digital commerce organizations, growing revenue from approximately $24M to more than $500M while establishing the capabilities, team, and operating model to sustain long-term growth.
- Led a multi-hundred-million-dollar business with full P&L accountability, balancing profitable growth, customer experience, and brand equity.
- Built and developed a 40+ person cross-functional organization spanning Ecommerce, Merchandising, Digital Product, Analytics, Customer Experience, and Operations.
- Modernized the digital ecosystem through enterprise transformation across technology, merchandising, and the end-to-end customer experience.
Transformed Vans Customs from a niche offering into a strategic business that combined consumer insight, technology, and operational innovation to unlock a new source of profitable growth.
- Secured $4.5M in capital investment through a compelling business strategy aligned with executive leadership.
- Generated more than $50M in incremental revenue within three years, creating a meaningful new growth platform for the brand.
- Led cross-functional execution across Product, Technology, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Marketing, Operations, and Digital.
- Earned industry recognition for innovation while establishing a scalable business model for future growth.
Lead the global Ecommerce and Digital Marketing organization at 5.11 Tactical, expanding Digital's role from a transactional channel to a strategic driver of enterprise growth and brand evolution.
- Lead digital performance across North America and EMEA, aligning profitable growth with customer experience and long-term brand development.
- Unified Ecommerce, Digital Marketing, CRM, Merchandising, Analytics, and Customer Experience into a collaborative, high-performing global organization.
- Partner with executive leadership to shape enterprise strategy, governance, investment priorities, and organizational alignment.
- Driving the evolution of a heritage brand through AI-powered commerce, personalization, elevated storytelling, and customer experience innovation that broadens consumer relevance and supports sustainable growth.