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Senior Product Consultant with 28+ years' experience helping businesses develop, source and launch commercially successful products - from concept through to launch, covering product strategy, assortment planning, sourcing, and supplier management.

Featured Partners are carefully selected individuals with proven experience, exceptional service standards, and are considered to be true experts in their field. Each partner has been personally reviewed by the Entreupia team and approved based on expertise, delivery quality, and long-term potential.

Sonya Mallett is a senior product leader with 28+ years' experience across sports and lifestyle apparel, spanning product development, category management, merchandising, and consultancy for global brands including ASICS, New Balance, and Reebok.

I work with start-ups and established brands to bring commercially successful product ranges to market - from concept through to launch, covering product strategy, assortment planning, sourcing, and supplier management.

Combining strategic thinking with hands-on delivery, I help businesses build product roadmaps, define assortments,create design briefs, identify manufacturing partners, and manage development through to launch.

With a strong commercial focus, I help brands balance innovation with profitability, ensuring products meet customer needs while delivering commercial success.

- Founder & Product Consultant

Sonya the Product Consultant - Freelance Product Consultancy

Since October 2022, I've run my own consultancy alongside and between employed roles, supporting start-ups and established brands in developing commercially strong, market relevant ranges and assortment strategies. I deliver end-to-end product support, from concept, design briefs, and product strategy through to sourcing and final collection sign-off, with recent projects spanning range review, margin optimisation, and collection launch support.

- Head of Product

SDEG Ltd - UK-Based Sports & Lifestyle Retail Group

I was recruited to develop and launch a new multi-sportswear brand from initial concept, managing the end-to-end product process. Partnering with the business owner, I defined the brand vision from the ground up and translated it into a clear product strategy and market position, leading consumer insight and competitor research to shape the product architecture. I owned the full development cycle from concept, prototyping, and wearer trials through to final approvals, built a reliable supplier base from scratch across garments, fabrics, and packaging, and managed colour merchandising, range planning, and product line architecture across all categories.

- Head of Product

SAMURAI - Global Teamwear Brand

I led the Design & Development function across a team of six, delivering rugby performance and lifestyle apparel ranges. I worked directly with Leicester Tigers and Exeter Chiefs on their 24/25 seasonal kits for both on-field and off-field product, and managed Rugby World Cup kit development and on-time delivery for Samoa's 24/25 range. I built and owned the end-to-end apparel development calendar, evolved our innovation and development processes across performance and athleisure, and led design briefs, reviews, and sign-off to a consistently high standard.

- Apparel Category Manager / Senior Merchandising Manager

ASICS Europe BV / ASICS UK Ltd - Global Japanese Sportswear Brand

Across 11 years at ASICS, I built channel-specific assortments aligned to consumer, account, and regional market needs across a portfolio worth roughly €100m in the UK, and expanded the Sports Direct business to around €25m through targeted SMU programmes achieving full-price sell-through. I reduced SKU count by 30% to sharpen range focus, improved gross profit margins by around 12% through FOB optimisation and smarter sourcing, and reduced lead times and air freight costs through calendar and process improvements, while managing and developing cross-functional teams across EMEA.

- Girls Product Range Manager

Start-Rite Shoes Ltd - Children's Footwear Brand

From 2007 to 2011, I broadened my category responsibility into children's footwear, managing the girls' range end-to-end across design, development, and commercial sign-off.

- Product Management & Development

New Balance Athletic Shoes (UK) Ltd - Global Athletic Footwear Brand

From 2000 to 2007, I managed the European product range across running and lifestyle categories, leading assortment planning and development from concept through to final range sign-off.

- Product Development

Reebok UK - Global Sportswear Brand

From 1997 to 2000, in my first role in the sports industry after college, I gained foundational experience in product development and range planning within a major global brand.

ASICS
New Balance
Reebok
Leicester Tigers
Exeter Chiefs
Samoa Rugby (Rugby World Cup kit)
Sports Direct
Start-Rite Shoes

Portfolio & Case Studies

Selected Client Work

Selected work that demonstrates the capabilities of our partners.

Testimonials

A few words from clients who chose to work with Sonya.

"It is not often that I have the distinct pleasure to recommend an individual with such a unique blend of professional and personal qualities and skills as Sonya Mallett. I worked as a colleague of Sonya's at New Balance Europe Headquarters in the early 2000s. There were a number of outstanding and high-achieving members of that team, and clearly Sonya was at or near the top of the list. Although that experience was early in her career, she stood out through her work ethic, her attention to detail, and her ability to function as a valuable member of a team which produced high-quality results. She is a person of the highest ethical and moral standards who will not cut corners for the purpose of expediency, yet has the ability to cut through the non-essential to focus on what is really important and achievable in the shortest practical amount of time. She is an excellent listener, able to ask the right questions and conduct the kind of quality research that keeps her laser-focused on the objectives and end results of her assignments. In short, she is a very valuable producer and I am happy to recommend and endorse her unreservedly."

"During my time at ASICS I worked closely with Sonya, across a few different roles. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Sonya to anyone looking for a hardworking, committed and passionate person who understands product, and how to bring it to market."

"I had the pleasure of managing Sonya during her time as a Senior Marketplace Merchandising Manager for the Sports Direct account at ASICS, and I can confidently say she is an exceptional professional and a truly wonderful person to work with. Sonya brings a unique mix of deep business acumen and a genuine intuition for product needs. She is someone you can count on completely — no matter how complex the challenge, she tackles it with an incredibly positive, problem-solving attitude. What truly sets Sonya apart is her ability to connect with people. She builds authentic, trust-based relationships effortlessly, which allows her to navigate difficult situations with grace, diplomacy, and ease. As a Product Consultant, Sonya doesn't just bring top-tier strategic expertise; she brings heart, reliability, and a collaborative spirit that will elevate any business she partners with."

"Sonya has a huge skills base when it comes to what products will work with which consumers in which markets. Sonya worked for me at New Balance in apparel, and again at ASICS — first UK based, then European wide. Sonya quickly works out what needs to be done and then gets on with it. Hugely productive and capable. I wouldn't have worked with her twice if I didn't believe in what a huge contribution she can make."

"Sonya was great to work with! She paid attention to the detail of the figures and profitability, the consumers and the business, and always delivered to a high standard, on time and to budget. A very competent product manager with an absolute wealth of experience. She worked hard to deliver results and was popular with the sales teams as she always listened and looked ahead to what products were required. I would definitely employ Sonya again — she has so much knowledge and experience across many different categories: footwear, accessories and apparel."