Rapha has appointed Scott Mellin, the former global chief brand officer at Salomon, to its board of directors as the historic cycling British cycling brand continues a strategic overhaul under CEO Fran Millar.
Mellin brings three decades of brand and product experience from premium outdoor sport. At Salomon, Rapha said, he helped add $1 billion in net revenue and doubled brand awareness during a three-year stint that centred on modernising the French mountain sports brand's identity, cultural positioning, and product narrative. Before that, as global general manager of mountain sports at The North Face, he led the relaunch of the Summit Series performance range, oversaw the development of the Futurelight textile technology, and shifted recycled product content from 7 percent to over 70 percent.
The appointment is a board-level role, not an operational one. Mellin will influence direction, brand thinking, and product strategy rather than running day-to-day design or marketing. But the profile Rapha has chosen tells a story about where the company wants to go: toward stronger product-led positioning that balances performance credibility with broader cultural reach.
"Scott has a track record of pushing brands to find new cultural relevance whilst deepening authenticity and a sense of heritage," Millar said. "That insight will be invaluable as we grow Rapha's reach without compromising what makes this brand extraordinary. In addition, his credentials in driving product strategy and textile innovation will help sharpen our product pipeline."
Mellin, a cyclist who has lived in Aspen, Colorado, and Annecy, France, said he hoped to "act as a kind of catalyst" for Rapha's current changes. He hopes "the next few years completely reinvent what it feels like to wear Rapha."
Rapha's long-term rebuild
The move lands at a specific moment in Rapha's trajectory. Millar joined as CEO in September 2024, inheriting a business that had reported persistent losses and, by late 2025, had slashed its own valuation by £102 million. The company's leadership has spoken publicly about moving away from heavy discounting, focusing on full-price sales, and rebuilding the brand's long-term positioning.
At the same time, Rapha has been widening its elite-sport footprint. A partnership with USA Cycling, announced last year, will see the brand supply kit for the US Olympic and Paralympic cycling teams through the Los Angeles 2028 Games. That deal extends Rapha's visibility in the American market, which is central to any growth plan.
Mellin's background, built in adjacent premium outdoor categories rather than inside cycling, fits a pattern of importing expertise from industries that have already navigated the tension between heritage, performance, and mainstream appeal. At Salomon, Mellin was credited with balancing a fashion crossover audience against the brand's mountain-sport core.
That is close to the challenge Rapha faces, of growing its audience without diluting the product identity and community culture that built its reputation.
