Ryan Nichols
Los Angeles
Summary
Merchandising and planning leader with 8+ years of experience driving global product strategies, financial planning, and demand forecasting. Proven ability to lead high-performing teams, enhance planning systems, and partner cross-functionally with brand, finance, and operations leaders to deliver optimized assortments and profitable growth. Recognized for developing talent and implementing scalable tools that improve accuracy, efficiency, and strategic alignment across global organizations.
Overview
9
9
years of professional experience
Work History
Sr. Manager, Brand Planning & Strategy
Deckers Brands
11.2024 - Current
Manager, Brand Planning & Strategy
Deckers Brands
04.2024 - 11.2024
- Develop long-range and seasonal financial product plans that translate brand strategy into actionable targets, ensuring alignment across global leadership.
- Introduced scalable planning tools and processes now embedded in global planning, improving consistency and decision-making across regions.
- Partner with leadership across merchandising, finance, and operations to identify opportunities and mitigate risks, enhancing global end-to-end efficiency.
- Provide insights and recommendations that influence profitable product strategies and cross-functional alignment.
- Identified assortment risks and opportunities to support leadership in portfolio optimization.
Demand Planning Manager – HOKA & Emerging Brands
Deckers Brands
01.2023 - 04.2024
- Built and coached a high-performing planning team, fostering career growth and enabling two team members to achieve promotions.
- Enhanced global planning system (o9) to improve forecast accuracy, reporting visibility, and workflow efficiency across brands.
- Facilitated cross-functional alignment in S&OP, Buy Review, and Demand Review processes, strengthening confidence in demand signals.
- Coordinated global demand milestones, ensuring timely delivery of supply chain and brand objectives.
Senior Demand Planner – HOKA
Deckers Brands
07.2021 - 01.2023
Demand Planner – HOKA/Teva
Deckers Brands
05.2018 - 07.2021
- Led design and implementation of a global demand planning system, enabling improved accuracy and adoption across multiple brands.
- Mentored and trained demand planning team members to enhance capabilities and professional growth.
- Developed new forecasting approaches that increased reliability and informed more effective buy and assortment decisions.
- Owned 18-month demand plan by category and SKU, analyzing historical data, sales trends, and key demand drivers to inform strategy.
- Provided Merchandising and Sales leadership with actionable insights on risks and opportunities throughout monthly planning cycles.
- Partnered with account managers to validate demand inputs and address variances, strengthening forecast accuracy.
Credit Associate
Deckers Brands
02.2017 - 05.2018
- Reviewed and managed financial standing of customer credit lines and applications.
- Collaborated with sales team to negotiate payments and ensure reconciliations.
- Controlled credit exposure by minimizing risk and supporting timely collections.
Systems & Reporting Analyst
Deckers Brands
06.2016 - 02.2017
- Managed reporting for A/R aging, credit order holds, and cash forecasts across global accounts.
- Reviewed and improved system functions and reporting processes for greater efficiency.
- Automated recurring reporting tasks, reducing manual workload through new reporting tools.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Economics & Mathematics
University of California
06.2015
Skills
- Demand Planning
- Merchandising Strategy
- Financial Planning & Forecasting
- Global Go-to-Market Processes
- Cross-functional Leadership
- Talent Development
Timeline
Sr. Manager, Brand Planning & Strategy
Deckers Brands
11.2024 - Current
Manager, Brand Planning & Strategy
Deckers Brands
04.2024 - 11.2024
Demand Planning Manager – HOKA & Emerging Brands
Deckers Brands
01.2023 - 04.2024
Senior Demand Planner – HOKA
Deckers Brands
07.2021 - 01.2023
Demand Planner – HOKA/Teva
Deckers Brands
05.2018 - 07.2021
Credit Associate
Deckers Brands
02.2017 - 05.2018
Systems & Reporting Analyst
Deckers Brands
06.2016 - 02.2017
Bachelor of Arts - Economics & Mathematics
University of California
Core Competencies
- Advanced Excel modeling
- Atlas, ASCP, and o9
- PLM and VLP
- Tableau
- Power BI
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