Brief Introduction of Angel Martinez
Angel Martinez is a titan of the footwear industry, a visionary leader whose career has been defined by a remarkable ability to build and transform iconic global brands. With a journey that began as a Cuban immigrant in the South Bronx, Martinez’s story is a testament to perseverance and the pursuit of opportunity. He was a foundational employee at Reebok, playing an instrumental role in its explosive growth during the 1980s fitness boom. His leadership extended to roles as President and CEO of The Rockport Company, and later as a co-founder of Keen Footwear. However, he is perhaps best known for his transformative tenure as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Deckers Brands. Under his guidance, Deckers grew from a modest company into a multi-billion dollar powerhouse, largely driven by the global phenomenon of the UGG brand and the strategic acquisition and growth of brands like HOKA ONE ONE and Teva. Beyond his corporate achievements, Martinez is a dedicated philanthropist with a deep commitment to human rights and creating opportunities for youth.
Angel Martinez Overview
| Full Name | Angel R. Martinez |
| Date of Birth | c. 1955 |
| Age(as of 2025) | Approximately 70 |
| Birthplace | Cuba |
| Profession | Business Executive, Philanthropist, Brand Builder |
| Husband/Wife | Frankie Martinez |
| Family | Wife (Frankie Martinez), four children |
| Relationship/Affairs(GF/BF) | Married |
| Net Worth | Estimated to be at least $187 Million |
Early Life and Education of Angel Martinez
Angel Martinez was born in Cuba around 1955. At the age of three, in 1958, he immigrated to the United States with his great-aunt and her husband, who adopted and raised him. His biological mother had left, and his father’s work on the railroad kept him away. What was intended to be a temporary move for educational purposes became permanent following the Cuban Revolution, which prevented his biological family from joining him for over three decades. The family settled in the South Bronx, New York, a tough urban environment that Martinez credits with teaching him invaluable life lessons about people and resilience. Growing up, his family relied on public welfare and food stamps, an experience that instilled in him a profound dislike for dependency and a strong desire to one day give back.
At the age of 13, Martinez’s family relocated to Alameda, California. This move was a significant culture shock, but it was in California that he discovered a passion that would shape his future: distance running. Though he started as the slowest member of his high school team, his dedication and relentless work ethic transformed him into one of the top runners in the state by the time he graduated, breaking school records that stood for over 40 years. His athletic prowess earned him scholarship offers from several universities. He chose to attend the University of California, Davis, to remain close to his family. At UC Davis, he continued to excel in athletics, earning All-American honors in cross country and track. He also met his future wife, Frankie, during his sophomore year. Martinez graduated from UC Davis with a degree in rhetoric and marketing.
Angel Martinez’s Career
Angel Martinez’s career in the footwear industry began not in a corporate office, but from his passion for running. After college, he opened his own running shoe specialty stores in Mountain View and Alameda, California. It was during this time that he met the owner of a small English shoe company named Reebok. In 1980, Martinez became one of the first employees of Reebok in the United States, embarking on a 21-year journey with the brand that would see it become a global titan. He was a driving force behind Reebok’s astronomical growth, particularly with the creation of the first aerobic shoe for women. Martinez recognized that the burgeoning aerobics movement, popularized by figures like Jane Fonda, lacked appropriate footwear. He championed the development of the Reebok Freestyle, a shoe that blended style with function and catered directly to this new, powerful female consumer base. This innovation created an entirely new footwear category and was a catalyst for Reebok’s revenue to skyrocket, making it one of the fastest-growing companies in business history at the time. During his extensive tenure at Reebok, Martinez held several key leadership positions, including Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. He also served as the President and CEO of The Rockport Company, a subsidiary of Reebok, where he successfully repositioned the brand to appeal to a younger demographic.
After retiring from Reebok in 2001, Martinez’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to co-found Keen LLC in 2003, where he served as President, CEO, and Vice Chairman. The brand, known for its protective toe-cap sandals, quickly carved out a niche in the outdoor footwear market.
In 2005, Martinez was recruited for what would become the most defining role of his career, taking the helm as President and CEO of Deckers Outdoor Corporation (now Deckers Brands). At the time, Deckers was a roughly $200 million company. Over the next 11 years, with Martinez as CEO and later as Chairman of the Board (a role he assumed in 2008), Deckers underwent a phenomenal transformation. He masterfully cultivated the UGG brand from a niche product into a global lifestyle and fashion phenomenon. His strategic vision also included the expansion of the Teva and Sanuk brands and, critically, the acquisition of Hoka One One, a running shoe brand that experienced explosive growth under Deckers’ ownership. By the time Martinez retired as CEO in 2016, Deckers Brands had grown into a $1.8 billion global enterprise with 4,000 employees worldwide. He remained as non-executive Chairman until 2017. After his retirement from Deckers, Martinez has continued to lend his expertise to various companies, serving on the boards of Tupperware Brands, Korn Ferry, and Genesco Inc. In early 2025, he was also appointed to the board of directors for OOFOS, a leader in active recovery footwear.
Angel Martinez Personal Life & Family
Angel Martinez is married to Frankie Martinez, whom he met during his sophomore year at the University of California, Davis. An interview published in late 2024 mentioned they had been married for 45 years. The couple has four children and resides in Santa Barbara, California. Specific details about his children’s names and professions are not publicly available. His personal life reflects the values instilled in him during his upbringing. Having grown up in a working-class immigrant household, he has often spoken about the importance of opportunity and giving back to the community. This belief system has been a cornerstone of both his personal and professional life. Beyond his business endeavors, Martinez is an avid long-distance runner and cyclist, passions he has maintained since he was a teenager. He also enjoys playing guitar, with a particular love for jazz and blues. In 2017, driven by a desire to improve his local community, Martinez entered the race for mayor of Santa Barbara, running his campaign largely on his extensive business experience and a vision for a more vibrant local economy.
Awards and Achievements of Angel Martinez
- Person of the Year by Footwear News (1997)
- Person of the Year by Footwear News (2008)
- Footwear Industry Icon Award (2011)
- Led Deckers Brands to be named one of Outside Magazine’s Best Places to Work multiple times (2008-2014)
- Earned All-American honors in cross country and track at the University of California, Davis
Angel Martinez Net Worth and Income
As of 2025, Angel Martinez’s net worth is estimated to be at least $187 million. This estimation is primarily based on his substantial stock holdings in companies where he has served as a director, most notably Deckers Outdoor Corp. His wealth is a direct result of a long and highly successful career in the footwear industry, including lucrative leadership positions at Reebok, Rockport, Keen, and Deckers Brands. During his time as Chairman and CEO of Deckers, he received significant compensation packages that included both a base salary and substantial stock awards. His income is further supplemented by his ongoing roles as a board member for publicly traded companies like Korn Ferry and Genesco, for which he receives annual retainers and stock awards.
Legacy and Influence
Angel Martinez’s legacy is etched into the very fabric of the modern footwear industry. He is widely regarded as a brand-building genius who possesses an innate understanding of the consumer. His pioneering work at Reebok, particularly the creation of the aerobics shoe category, fundamentally shifted the athletic footwear market by recognizing and empowering the female consumer. This move not only fueled Reebok’s meteoric rise but also set a new standard for market segmentation and product innovation. His transformative leadership at Deckers Brands is a case study in corporate growth and brand management. He took the UGG brand, once a niche Australian product, and cultivated it into a global symbol of comfort and style, demonstrating his ability to connect a product to the cultural zeitgeist.
Beyond his product and marketing acumen, Martinez has championed a more human-centric approach to corporate culture. He instilled a strong philanthropic ethic at Deckers, which has committed millions to charitable causes. His long-standing involvement with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and his significant role in the “Human Rights Now!” world tour with Amnesty International in 1988 highlight a career-long dedication to social responsibility. He has consistently used his platform to advocate for creating opportunities for others, a principle rooted in his own experience as an immigrant who achieved remarkable success. His influence extends to his board memberships, where he continues to advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the corporate world.
Interesting Facts about Angel Martinez
- He was the executive producer of the “Human Rights Now!” world tour in 1988, a series of 17 concerts across five continents featuring artists like Bruce Springsteen, Sting, and Peter Gabriel, organized with Amnesty International to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
- He grew up in the South Bronx and did not see his biological father for 36 years after immigrating to the United States from Cuba.
- As a high school distance runner, he broke school records in the mile and two-mile that remained unbroken for more than 40 years.
- He is one of only two people to have been named “Person of the Year” twice by the influential industry publication, Footwear News.
- His first experience with business-led community impact was organizing the “Alameda Run for the Parks,” a local race that has since raised millions of dollars for the city’s parks.
- He once ran for mayor of Santa Barbara, California, in 2017.
Controversies
Angel Martinez’s career has been largely free from major public controversy. However, during his 2017 campaign for mayor of Santa Barbara, his leadership at Deckers Brands came under scrutiny from an activist investor, Marcato Capital Management. The investor publicly questioned whether Martinez’s focus on the mayoral race was a distraction from addressing the company’s financial performance at the time, which had seen a drop in share prices. Marcato specifically cited his political ambitions as a concern in their push for changes on the Deckers board. In response, Martinez resigned his position as board chairman to focus on the campaign, though he remained a director on the board.
Social Media Presence
- Instagram – Information not publicly available
- Twitter – Information not publicly available
- YouTube – Information not publicly available
Final Words about Angel Martinez
Angel Martinez’s story is a powerful narrative of the American dream, a journey from a challenging childhood as an immigrant to the pinnacle of corporate success. His career is a masterclass in brand building, consumer insight, and transformative leadership. He didn’t just sell shoes; he created cultural phenomena, from the Reebok Freestyle that defined a generation of fitness to the UGG boots that became a global comfort staple. Yet, his legacy is not solely defined by balance sheets and market share. It is equally characterized by his unwavering commitment to philanthropy and human rights, a dedication to creating the same kinds of opportunities from which he benefited. Now in a phase of active retirement, Martinez continues to shape the business world through his board memberships and share his wealth of experience with a new generation of leaders. His life and career serve as an enduring example of how passion, perseverance, and a people-first philosophy can build not only great brands but also a meaningful legacy.
