SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (BRAIN) — Ibis Cycles has hired Mariano Gon as the brand's new global sales director and Saris Mercanti as its new marketing manager.
Gon has more than 25 years of experience in the cycling industry and was most recently the American sales director for Orbea. He previously worked with Ibis co-founder Hans Heim and COO Jon Forsberg at Santa Cruz Bicycles.
"Mariano joining Ibis just made perfect sense," said Tom Morgan, Ibis' president and co-owner. "He already knows us - our staff and our customers. And nobody is better positioned to help Ibis drive its next phase of growth. We couldn't be happier to have him on the team."
Gon said, "It was impossible to say no to Ibis. They have managed to maintain the essence of cycling, of authentic mountain biking, which we fell in love with more than 30 years ago... And we need to keep that essence as part of Ibis character. I have always been an advocate of the traditional dealer model around the world. Ibis is such a big family, and when you manage to transmit the meaning of riding and selling an Ibis bike to each of our dealers, everything turns so much easier."
Mercanti was most recently the technical editor at MTBR; before that she handled marketing and communications for Kali Protectives. Prior to both roles, she was an editor at BikeRumor.
Morgan said, "Marketing has become an increasingly complex challenge - lots of possibilities, but few certainties. In Saris we feel that we have someone who not only knows bicycles and the bicycle industry, but she is also someone who is up to the task of navigating the ever-expanding maze of marketing technology."
Mercanti said, "I'm incredibly excited for this opportunity. I've always admired Ibis products and look forward to working alongside industry titans like Hans Heim, Scot Nicol, Tom Morgan, and Roxy Lo."
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Saris Mercanti -
Mariano Gon
