Columbia Sportswear Company is pleased to announce the appointment of Dempsi Filipek as Technical Design Manager, marking an exciting new chapter in her journey with the brand. In this role, Dempsi will lead technical design initiatives for the Strategic Response Team (SRT), supporting agile product creation and ensuring speed, precision, and innovation across key categories.
Dempsi brings deep institutional knowledge and hands-on leadership experience, having grown within Columbia across multiple technical and product development roles. Most recently, she served as Senior Apparel Product Engineer, where she led overseas development teams, managed SMU and Outlet programs across global offices, and drove end-to-end development ownership for complex, cross-category styles spanning outerwear, sportswear, accessories, and youth lines.
Her career foundation includes leading apparel development within high-performance running, managing innovative outerwear and sportswear programs, and spearheading special projects and external collaborations. Known for her expertise in technical construction, costing strategy, PLM systems, and cross-functional collaboration, Dempsi has consistently delivered products that balance performance, quality, speed-to-market, and commercial viability.
With a career rooted in technical excellence and process leadership, Dempsi’s appointment reinforces Columbia Sportswear Company’s commitment to innovation, operational agility, and product integrity. The company looks forward to her continued impact as she helps shape the next generation of performance-driven apparel.
