Knix is entering a pivotal moment in its history as founder Joanna Griffiths steps away from the company she launched in Toronto in 2013, handing leadership to veteran consumer brand executive Nicole Tapscott during a period of continued retail expansion in Canada and the United States.
The Globe and Mail first reported Griffiths’ departure. Griffiths later confirmed the news in a post on social media, saying the time felt right to step away after 14 years building Knix and four years leading the business following its acquisition by Swedish health and hygiene company Essity. She said she is looking forward to spending more time with her family while watching the company continue to grow.
Tapscott, Knix’s Chief Commercial Officer, will become President. The appointment suggests a carefully planned succession rather than a shift in strategy. Since joining Knix, Tapscott has taken on an increasingly visible role in the company’s commercial growth, helping lead retail expansion, wholesale partnerships and international development as the brand continues to evolve.
The leadership change closes an important chapter for one of Canada’s most recognizable consumer brands. Griffiths built Knix from a startup into an international business, while Tapscott now assumes responsibility for guiding a company that has grown into a sophisticated omnichannel retailer with global ambitions.
Building a Modern Canadian Retail Brand
When Griffiths founded Knix, she set out to address a gap in the women’s intimates market through products designed around comfort, function and innovation. The company became widely recognized for helping pioneer leakproof underwear while building a brand that encouraged more open conversations around women’s health and everyday needs.
Knix’s growth was driven by more than product innovation. Griffiths cultivated a highly engaged customer community through education, authentic storytelling and direct engagement with consumers, helping establish Knix as one of Canada’s most successful digitally native retail brands.
As the business matured, Knix successfully expanded beyond ecommerce into physical retail, demonstrating that online-first brands could build productive store networks without abandoning their digital strengths. Today, the company operates stores in major Canadian markets and continues to expand its brick-and-mortar presence while maintaining a strong ecommerce business.
That success attracted international attention. In 2022, Essity acquired an 80 per cent stake in Knix in a transaction valuing the company at approximately US$400 million. Griffiths remained as President following the acquisition, providing continuity as the business entered its next stage of growth under global ownership.
Her departure effectively completes that transition, marking the first time the company will operate without its founder leading the organization.
An Experienced Successor
Tapscott brings an unusually strong background for the role. Before joining Knix, she helped launch and grow Casper’s Canadian business before moving to Toronto-based jewellery retailer Mejuri, where she served as Chief Marketing Officer during a period of rapid international expansion. Earlier in her career, she worked with the World Economic Forum in Geneva on global engagement initiatives, building experience across digital strategy, brand development and organizational growth.
She joined Knix as Chief Marketing Officer before expanding into the role of Chief Commercial Officer, reflecting her growing responsibilities across marketing, ecommerce, retail operations and commercial strategy.
Retail Insider readers have seen that evolution firsthand. Earlier this year, Tapscott discussed Knix’s partnership with Holt Renfrew, the company’s growing store network and its broader retail strategy as it continued expanding beyond its direct-to-consumer roots.
Her work has also been recognized across the industry. The Association of Canadian Advertisers awarded Tapscott its 2025 Gold Medal for leadership in Canadian marketing, and she has since been recognized by Strategy magazine for her contributions to brand building.
Rather than recruiting an executive from outside the organization, Knix has elevated a leader who has already helped shape many of the initiatives now driving the company’s growth.
The Business She Inherits
Tapscott assumes leadership at a time when Knix continues to expand across multiple channels.
The company has announced plans to grow its Canadian store network to more than 30 locations, including its first Atlantic Canadian store, while continuing to invest in premium shopping destinations. It has also broadened its wholesale strategy through partnerships including Holt Renfrew in Canada while expanding its presence in the United States through company-operated stores and carefully selected retail partners.
The company’s approach illustrates how its strategy has evolved over time. During Knix’s earlier years, Griffiths emphasized direct-to-consumer distribution, allowing the brand to build close relationships with customers while maintaining control over the shopping experience.
Today, Knix continues to prioritize its own stores and ecommerce business, but it is selectively expanding wholesale partnerships from a position of strength. Years of brand building, customer loyalty and operational growth have given the company greater flexibility in deciding where and how consumers encounter the brand.
That measured approach reflects the evolution of a business that is no longer defined by a single sales channel but by an integrated retail ecosystem spanning ecommerce, company-operated stores and wholesale distribution.
Looking Ahead
Leadership transitions are defining moments for founder-led businesses, particularly when the founder has become closely associated with the brand itself.
For Knix, however, the transition appears less about changing direction than ensuring continuity as the company enters a new stage of maturity. Tapscott inherits a business with a loyal customer base, an expanding store network and the backing of a global consumer products company. Her challenge will be to preserve the brand’s distinctive voice while continuing to scale its retail footprint and deepen its presence in international markets.
Griffiths leaves behind one of Canada’s most notable retail success stories of the past decade, having transformed a Toronto startup into a globally recognized brand that reshaped the intimates category. The next phase of Knix’s evolution will be led by an executive who has already helped guide many of the company’s recent strategic decisions, offering continuity as the business continues its expansion.
