Merlin is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael “Tex” Mawby as North America country manager to lead the expansion and presence of the Merlin brand within the U.S. and Canada.
Mawby has vast motorcycle industry experience, having previously served as president of Gerbing Motorsports, director of sales and marketing with TCX Boots and Eastern U.S. and Canadian sales manager with REV’IT! Sport USA. Prior to joining Merlin North America, Mawby was the director of sales and marketing for H&H Sports Protection, the owners and manufacturers of Just1 Racing, Torc, Nitek and Origine Helmets.
Alongside his success in the industry, Mawby also holds amateur road racing success, having previously won four national championships with the AMA, WERA and USCRA racing series in the U.S.
In his new position, Mawby will be based in Philadelphia and will focus on growing Merlin’s distribution and retail network in the U.S. and Canada.
Patrick Franklin, sales operations director at Merlin, said, “Over the last 10 years, Merlin has grown strongly based our mission of providing the best protection in motion from our apparel lines, built through the highest progressive innovation available, yet ensuring that every rider receives amazing ‘bang for their buck’. This position has seen Merlin generate almost three quarters of our revenue outside our home market in the U.K. Merlin has been supplying into the U.S. since 2016 with an amazing consumer response, so it was the right time with the interruption of COVID-19 behind us that we stepped on and formed a Merlin North America subsidiary to meet the increasing demand from our North American customers’.
Mawby said of his appointment, “I am ecstatic to have been given the opportunity to lead Merlin in North America. The design, features, construction and quality of our apparel collection is unparalleled and, in my opinion, complete. My new colleagues in the U.K. have built a great brand and, most importantly, a strong culture. ‘For Riders, By Riders’ is more than a marketing slogan — it is a credo that guides Merlin’s values and principles. I am looking forward to sharing and growing this culture in the USA, Canada and Mexico for years to come.”
