Brands
Canada Goose
Canada Goose announced that Woody Blackford will join the company in the Fall as executive vice president of design and merchandising.
Blackford will oversee the global design and merchandising organization, with a continued focus on category expansion and innovation. Lee Turlington, chief product officer, will be leaving the company at the end of the year to re-engage his long-standing consulting practice.
Blackford was most recently vice president of global design and innovation at Columbia Sportswear Company.
Canada Goose, manufacturer of performance luxury apparel, is based in Toronto. The company, which employs more than 4,000 people worldwide, is a recognized leader for its Made in Canada commitment and is a long-time partner of Polar Bears International.
Varsity Brands
Varsity Brands announced that Justin Kentor joined the company as chief of strategy and business transformation.
In this capacity, Kentor will report to Varsity Brands CEO Adam Blumenfeld and assume responsibility for the strategic integration of new initiatives, as well as overall development and execution of the company’s business and growth strategies.
Kentor joins Varsity Brands from Nike Inc., where he most recently served as head of Nike’s digital activity commerce, providing customers with a curated and personalized shopping experience. Kentor will be based at Varsity Brands’ headquarters in Dallas.
Varsity Brands is a portfolio company of Bain Capital Private Equity. With a mission to inspire achievement and create memorable experiences for young people, Varsity Brands elevates the student experience, promotes participation and celebrates achievement through three interrelated businesses: BSN Sports, Varsity Spirit and Herff Jones. Together, these businesses promote personal, school and community pride through their customizable products and programs. Through its 9,000 employees and independent representatives, Varsity Brands reaches its individual and institutional customers each year via e-commerce sites, catalogs, telesales and direct sales channels.
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Retail
Express
Express Inc. appointed two officers to key roles in the organization. Malissa Akay was named executive vice president and chief merchandising officer, and Sara Tervo was named executive vice president and chief marketing officer.
Both will join Express on Sept. 9 and report directly to CEO Tim Baxter.
As chief merchandising officer, Akay will oversee women’s and men’s design and merchandising with responsibility for product and merchandising strategy across Express and Express Factory Outlet stores, as well as express.com. She joins Express from Lane Bryant, where she had been executive vice president and general merchandise manager since 2016.
As chief marketing officer, Tervo will oversee all aspects of marketing and creative services, with responsibility for brand strategy and positioning, customer insights and loyalty. She joins Express from Justice, where she had been executive vice president and chief marketing officer since 2016.
Express operates more than 600 retail and factory outlet stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, as well as an online destination.
Ross Stores
Ross Stores Inc. announced operational leadership changes that the company believes will continue to drive the successful execution of its off-price strategies and maximize management’s ability to deliver ongoing increases in shareholder value.
Michael Hartshorn was named group president and chief operating officer, reporting directly to CEO Barbara Rentler. In his new role, Hartshorn will be adding strategy, marketing, human resources, supply chain, stores and technology to his current responsibilities.
Michael Kobayashi was promoted to president of operations and technology and will report to Hartshorn. Kobayashi will be adding the stores organization to his current responsibilities.
Gary Cribb was promoted to senior group executive vice president of stores and loss prevention. Cribb will report to Kobayashi.
Travis Marquette was promoted to group senior vice president and chief financial officer. Marquette will continue to report to Hartshorn and will be responsible for the entire finance organization, adding tax and investor relations to his existing management responsibility for accounting, treasury, financial planning and strategic sourcing.
Ross Stores, headquartered in Dublin, Calif., had fiscal 2018 revenues of $15 billion. The company operates Ross Dress for Less, with 1,523 locations in 39 states, the District of Columbia and Guam. It also operates 249 dd’s Discounts in 18 states.
J.C. Penney
J.C. Penney Co. appointed Stacey Shively as senior vice president and general merchandise manager for its home division, effective Sept. 9.
Reporting to Michelle Wlazlo, executive vice president and chief merchant, Shively will be responsible for overseeing the company’s home merchandising strategies that span product categories including bedding and bath, window coverings, small electrics, cookware and tabletop, mattresses, home electronics, luggage, seasonal and home décor.
Shively comes to J.C. Penney from Bluestem Brands, where she most recently served as senior vice president of merchandising, overseeing a broad selection of name brand and private-label general merchandise for a portfolio of national multichannel retail brands. Prior to that, she was vice president of merchandising for Deal$, a chain of discount variety stores owned and later re-branded by Dollar Tree.
Logistics
UPS
UPS announced that Richard Peretz, chief financial officer (CFO), plans to retire. Brian Newman, currently executive vice president of finance and operations for Latin America for PepsiCo, was appointed CFO to succeed Peretz, effective Sept. 16.
Newman will join the UPS management committee, the senior-most leadership team responsible for management of the company. Peretz will remain with the company through December to assist Newman to ensure a smooth transition period.
Peretz was appointed UPS CFO in 2015 and served in numerous roles throughout his 38-year career with the company.
Blockchain in Transport Alliance
The Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA) announced the election of Richard Greening, global director of technology for The DDC Group and its freight-focused division DDC FPO, to serve as co-chair of the alliance’s Bill Of Lading (BOL) Working Group.
The group was established by the standards development side of BiTA, referred to as “BiTA-S,” with the mission to create a modern definition of “bill of lading” and an associated data structure specification that can be leveraged across all transport modes for supply chain stakeholders. Its participants are made up of subject matter experts from BiTA-member companies representing trucking, rail, sea and air.
At a recent meeting, a vote was called by the existing chair, Josh Kolar, founder of Asset Balance Solutions, who announced that he would be stepping down from the chair role.
Founded in, BiTA has grown into one of the largest commercial blockchain alliances in the world. Its nearly 500 members in over 25 countries collectively generate over $1 trillion in revenue annually. The member-driven organization is focused on driving the adoption of emerging technology.