Under Armour is reorganizing its top leadership to better position the sports apparel brand to grow  internationally, the company said Tuesday.

"As we continue to introduce game-changing innovations and advance our goal to become the world’s number one performance brand, it is critical that we evolve our leadership structure," to reach global growth goals, CEO and chairman Kevin Plank said in the company's announcement.

Here are some changes, designed to "drive global growth" and which take effect Dec. 1.

Henry B. Stafford, the brand's North America president, will become chief merchandising officer, overseeing apparel, accessories and merchandising globally and overseeing the direct-to-consumer sales channels, such as branded stores and online sales. 

Matthew C. Mirchin, executive vice president of global marketing, will step in as the new North America president. He'll be responsible for the results of the North American business and oversee the wholesale channel, or sales through...

Under Armour founder and CEO Kevin A. Plank sold company stock valued at $39.3 million in several transactions last week.

Plank sold 110,000 shares of company stock on Friday, at prices of $65.52 per share or $65.99 per share, for a total value of $7.2 million. He sold another 250,000 shares on Oct. 30 at an average price of $64.32 per share, or $16 million, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Earlier in the week, Plank had sold 250,000 shares of Under Armour stock valued at $16.1 million. The shares were sold in the Oct. 28 transaction at an average price of $64.27 per share, according to the SEC.

lorraine.mirabella@baltsun.com

A device to rapidly detect malaria.

A ready-made system  encouraging people to grow their own vegetables.

A refrigerator rental service tailored to dorm rooms.

These were among the previous winners of the  Cupid's Cup Business Competition, which said today it has started accepting applications for 2015.

It’s held every year by Under Armour founder and CEO Kevin Plank and the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland's  Smith School of Business.

The competition – in which student entrants from around the world will compete for $115,000 in total prizes – is named after Plank’s first business, a rose-delivery company he operated from his dorm room while he was a student at College Park.

“The goal of Cupid’s Cup is to identify and reward students who have the entrepreneurial drive and conviction to take a risk and start a business while they are young,” Plank said in a prepared statement.

This will be the competition’s 10th year. The application deadline is Jan. 5,...

On sunny days, the harbor sparkles as Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank looks out from his Tide Point corner office. Across the water, he can see Canton and Fells Point, where his development firm is turning Recreation Pier into a 128-room hotel.

Plank wants Baltimore to see itself as he sees it from his office — brimming with potential. Plank, who founded the rapidly growing sports apparel and footwear company here about 18 years ago, says Baltimore needs to shed its collective self-image as a second-string city. He by no means believes that about Baltimore, but the city's sometimes bleak sense of itself is at odds with the relentless optimism of Plank, who keeps a whiteboard in his office filled with such aphorisms as "Overpromise and deliver" and "Dictate the tempo."

"I want Baltimore to be the coolest city in the world," Plank says in an interview, using the superlative he often applies to his own company and products. "Why can't we make it great?"

He is fond of equating Baltimore...

Under Armour has timed the launch of its much-talked-about Speedform Gemini running shoe to the days just before the NYC Marathon.

The Baltimore sports apparel company unveiled the shoe, the latest version of the Speedform Apollo introduced earlier this year, at its Under Armour Brand House store in Soho on Thursday night.

Footwear, a key growth area for the brand, accounts for about 13 percent of overall sales and is projected by the company to eventually catch up with or exceed apparel business. Running and basketball shoes have been top drivers of Under Armour's footwear growth.

The $130 Gemini is designed for runners who want extra cushioning for longer distances. The shoes are made with the brand's Charged Foam, "a new mid sole foam that has a unique combination of bouncy feel and impact," the company's announcement said.

The idea is to adapt to any runner's needs, Under Armour said. The shoe will be debuted by Under  Armour athlete Chris "Macca" McCormack, a triathlete who will...

As Under Armour gets set to launch new running shoes next spring and open dozens of its Brand House stores across the globe next year, some changes are underway at the Locust Point headquarters.

For one thing, the brand plans to consolidate its footwear operation — rededicating the Cascade building for that fast-growing division — by next spring, CEO and founder Kevin Plank told analysts on a call last week after announcing third quarter earnings.

"We believe footwear will be as big or bigger than apparel," Plank said.

The reshuffling on campus comes as Under Armour plans to introduce two more versions of its Speedform running shoes, the $130 Gemini and the $100 Vent.

Under Armour also is constructing what Plank referred to as a "lab" store, also on the Locust Point campus to aid in the brand's international store growth.

The sports apparel maker will have 80 Brand House stores by the end of the year, mostly outside the U.S., and plans to open 100 more in 2015, mostly in China. Most...