Retail
Gap Inc.
The Gap Inc. board of directors announced that president and CEO Art Peck will step down from his position and from the company’s board after a brief transition.
Robert J. Fisher, the company’s non-executive chairman of the board, will also serve as president and CEO on an interim basis. The board also appointed Bobby Martin, chair of its compensation and management development committee, as lead independent director.
Fisher is a member of the founding family of the company, having served in a variety of senior executive positions, including interim president and CEO. He has served on the board since 1990 and as non-executive chairman since February 2015.
Martin has served on the board since 2002, including as the lead independent director from 2003 to 2015. Martin is a former CEO of Walmart International and chief information officer for Walmart Stores Inc.
Genesco
Genesco Inc. announced that Mimi Eckel Vaughn, the company’s senior vice president and chief operating officer, was named its next president and CEO, effective Feb. 2.
Vaughn was also elected to Genesco’s board of directors, effective Oct. 30. She will succeed Robert J. Dennis, Genesco’s current chairman, president and CEO, who will continue to serve as the company’s executive chairman. During his 15-year career with the company, Dennis led Genesco as president and CEO for 11 years and served as chairman for the past nine years.
Matthew C. Diamond, a veteran of Genesco’s board, and former CEO of Alloy Media and Alloy Inc., will continue to serve as the company’s lead outside director.
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Vaughn joined Genesco as vice president (VP) of strategy and business development in 2003, was promoted to senior vice president (SVP) of strategy and business development in 2006 and was named SVP of strategy and shared services in 2009. She became chief financial officer (CFO) in 2015 and was named chief operating officer in January 2018.
Genesco sells footwear and accessories in more than 1,490 stores throughout the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Ireland under the names Journeys, Journeys Kidz, Schuh, Schuh Kids, Little Burgundy and Johnston & Murphy, and on web sites for those brands. In addition, Genesco sells wholesale footwear under its Johnston & Murphy brand, the Trask brand and the licensed Dockers brand.
Hudson’s Bay
Hudson’s Bay appointed Meghan Nameth as SVP of marketing. Nameth will report directly to Kerry Mader, executive vice president and chief customer officer of Hudson’s Bay.
Nameth will be responsible for leading the strategic development and execution of Hudson’s Bay’s integrated marketing strategy, with a focus on engaging customers and driving sales performance across all channels. Her oversight will include brand, marketing and public relations functions for the business.
Most recently, Nameth was managing director at PwC Canada’s One Analytics practice, where she led the development of marketing, customer and product analytics solutions.
A division of HBC, Hudson’s Bay operates 89 full-line signature stores and thebay.com.
Brands
VF Corp.
VF Corp. announced several new appointments to strengthen its (Europe, Middle East and Africa) EMEA leadership team.
Andrea Cannelloni was appointed to the newly created role of president of product platform for the EMEA region, Timo Schmidt-Eisenhart was appointed president of Napapijri and the VF EMEA digital platform, and Mariano Alonso was promoted to VP and general manager for Timberland EMEA region.
Cannelloni successfully led the Napapijri brand for a decade of transformation and global expansion, including pioneering the industry’s first 100 percent recyclable reinvention of the iconic skidoo jacket, Infinity. He will be responsible for accelerating the integration of product development, sustainability, innovation and materials. His new remit will include the evolution of critical new technologies, such as digital product creation. At the same time, he will continue to lead the EMEA product platform that serves as the engine for the product development at Napapijri, as well as explore innovation opportunities for the Timberland and Dickies brands.
Schmidt-Eisenhart has 12 years of leadership roles at VF and joins the Napapijri brand from the Timberland brand, where he has served as EMEA president. He will continue to lead the EMEA digital platform and oversee relationships with digital key accounts.
Both Cannelloni and Schmidt-Eisenhart will report to Scabbia Guerrini.
Alonso joined VF in 2014 as VP of sales for Timberland EMEA and was later appointed VP of sales and retail for Timberland EMEA. In his new role, he will lead the next phase of the brand’s expansion and global connectivity in EMEA, directing a multi-channel sales team that includes retail, digital and wholesale, as well customer accounts, marketing and merchandising. Alonso will dual report to Jim Pisani, global brand president of Timberland, and Guerrini.
Columbia Sportswear
Columbia Sportswear Company announced that president and CEO Timothy P. Boyle will serve as acting chairman of the board following the passing of Gertrude Boyle.
The board intends to consider and take action regarding the formal appointment of a new chairman at its next regularly scheduled board meeting in January 2020. In addition to her leadership role within the company, Boyle held a substantial number of shares of the company’s common stock. As of April 1, Gertrude Boyle held 9.4 million shares of the company’s common stock, representing approximately 14 percent of the total shares outstanding.
It is anticipated that the executor of Boyle’s estate will be Sarah A. Bany, a longtime member of the board and the sister of Timothy P. Boyle. The company understands that Gertrude Boyle’s estate plans call for the disposition of assets, which may include shares of the company’s common stock, primarily to charitable foundations founded by family members, as well as directly to family members.
The company further understands that under current tax law, family charitable foundations receiving shares of the company’s common stock would have up to five years to sell those shares, subject to any extensions. The company intends to work with the parties to ensure the orderly transition of share ownership over the coming years.
Guess
Guess Inc. appointed Katie Anderson as CFO, effective Dec. 2. Anderson will replace Sandeep Reddy, who will be leaving the company on Dec. 1.
Anderson joins Guess from California Pizza Kitchen, where she has served as CFO since November 2016. The company plans to host its Investor Day in New York City on Dec. 3. In addition to CEO Carlos Alberini and other company executives, Anderson will be present at the event and will participate in the meeting.
Textiles
Plant Based Products Council
The Plant Based Products Council (PBPC) announced Jessica Bowman as its new executive director to help lead its growing organization and advocacy efforts.
Bowman joins PBPC from the American Chemistry Council, where she served as executive director of its FluoroCouncil, and previously as senior director of environmental affairs for the Airports Council International North America. Since the council’s launch in January, the PBPC has already grown to more than 55 corporate members comprised of small and large businesses across the U.S. committed to advancing the bioeconomy.
The Plant Based Products Council is a group of like-minded organizations working to guide the global economy toward more sustainable and responsible consumer products and packaging through greater use of plant-based materials.