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Shuffle Board: New CEOs for Zulily, AWI, Bast; Neiman, Guess, Parachute Name CFOs

Retail

Macy’s

Macy’s Inc. announced that Emily Erusha-Hilleque joined the company as senior vice president for Macy’s private brands.

In this role, Erusha-Hilleque will lead the nameplate’s private brands design organization, including apparel, center core and home design teams, as well as drive the private brands strategy in partnership with Macy’s merchandising and sourcing teams. She will report to Nata Dvir, chief merchandising officer of Macy’s.

Erusha-Hilleque joins Macy’s from Target Corporation, where she most recently served as design director of ready-to-wear, young contemporary private label and design partnerships. In that role she was responsible for building, launching and growing the first Gen Z + Culture-focused private label Wild Fable, and designer collaborations including Levi’s, Christopher John Rodgers, Alexis, Rixo, Nili Lotan, Sandy Liang, Victor Glemaud, Rachel Comey, Christian Robinson and Lego.

Nordstrom

Nordstrom announced three new leadership appointments within merchandising and supply chain at Nordstrom Rack.

Nancy Mair was named senior vice president (SVP) of Rack merchandising. Mair will help develop and execute the Rack merchandise strategy across Nordstrom Rack stores and NordstromRack.com. She previously worked at Burlington Stores for 26 years, where she began as an intern and ultimately served as SVP and general merchandise manager.

Kelley Wotton-Gantner was appointed vice president (VP) and divisional merchandise manager. She joined Nordstrom in September 2020 as senior director of merchandising with a focus on the price conscious consumer. In March, she will shift into her new role leading a broader scope of buying for Nordstrom Rack. Prior to Nordstrom, Wotton-Gantner held leadership roles at a variety of off-price retailers, including Macy’s Backstage, Beall’s Inc., TJX Companies and Bob’s Stores.

Stacy Lippa was name VP for Rack Supply Chain. Lippa will work across the organization to drive store growth by aligning stakeholders and resources to support Rack supply chain needs. She most recently led the distribution and fulfillment networks at Five Below.

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Nordstrom also appointed Amie Thuener to its board of directors. For the past nine years, Thuener has worked at Alphabet, where she served as vice president and chief accounting officer since 2018 and is responsible for global external financial reporting, including certifying the company’s financial statements.

Neiman Marcus

CEOs were named at AWI, Bast Fibers, Tailored Brands and Zulily, and Neiman Marcus, Guess and Parachute have new chief financial officers.
Katie Anderson Courtesy

Neiman Marcus Group (NMG) appointed Katie Anderson as executive vice president and chief financial officer (CFO), beginning April 4.

In this role, Anderson will join the group leadership team and report to Geoffroy van Raemdonck, CEO of Neiman Marcus Group. She formerly served as CFO at Guess Inc.

Anderson will drive all financial functions for the company, as well as risk management, real estate, supply chain and track progress toward the luxury retailer’s growth execution and strategy. NMG’s interim CFO, Mark Weinsten, will transition from his role with the company following Anderson’s appointment.

NMG’s brands include Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus Last Call and Horchow.

Zulily

Qurate Retail president and CEO David L. Rawlinson II announced the appointment of Terry Boyle as president and CEO of Zulily.

Boyle will report to and work in collaboration with Rawlinson to develop and implement a compelling strategy for Zulily to optimize short- and long-term business goals. Most recently, he founded and created Behold, a venture-backed start-up focused on innovating online women’s fashion by providing a personalized shopping experience driven by data science, personal styling and outfit functionality.

Prior to that, Boyle served as president of Nordstromrack.com and HauteLook. In 2017, he additionally assumed the role of president of Trunk Club, a full-priced division of Nordstrom that focused on in-person and online personal styling services.

Tailored Brands

Tailored Brands Inc. announced that board members Bob Hull and Peter Sachse will continue as co-CEOs to provide continuity to the organization as it continues to progress its strategic plan.

Hull and Sachse were both appointed as interim co-CEOs and joined the company’s board on March 16, 2021. Hull has three decades of retail experience, including 17 years at Lowe’s Companies with the last 14 years as chief financial officer. Sachse previously spent 34 years in various positions at Macy’s Inc., including chief stores officer, chief marketing officer, and chairman and CEO of macys.com.

In conjunction with this decision, John Tighe will be promoted to president of Tailored Brands. In this new role, Tighe will continue to have end-to-end accountability for merchandising, marketing, e-commerce, rental, planning and allocation across the Men’s Wearhouse, Jos. A. Bank and Moores banners and will now oversee product development, design, global sourcing and the Joseph Abboud Manufacturing Corporation.

Room & Board

Furniture retailer Room & Board announced Emily McGarvey as its first director of sustainability.

In this new role, McGarvey will be responsible for implementing environmentally sound strategies that further advance Room & Board’s mission of delivering built-to-last furniture through sustainable practices that prioritize American craftsmanship.

McGarvey brings 20 years of experience spearheading social and environmental strategies with a focus on product, supply chain, operations and branding. As Target’s director of corporate social responsibility, she played an integral role in developing the corporation’s sustainability program, rolling out enterprise-wide initiatives including the company’s chemical management and transparency policy. In 2018, she founded Star Impact Consulting, where she provided purpose-driven strategy and branding for both for-profit and nonprofit business sectors such as Apparel Impact Institute.

With a product line that is more than 90 percent American made and a long history of sustainable practices, Room & Board looks forward to expanding and amplifying its sustainability commitments under McGarvey’s guidance and expertise. Current initiatives include sourcing reclaimed wood and incorporating recycled natural steel, plastic and fabric into its furniture and decor. Based in Minneapolis, Room & Board has 21 stores nationwide.

Trove

Trove, a specialist in branded re-commerce, appointed three senior executives to its leadership team.

Greg Ferris joined the company as chief product officer, Hitesh Chudasama as vice president of engineering and Jamin Nieri as senior vice president of operations. Ferris, who leads the product and engineering teams at Trove, previously served as chief product officer at Fandango, where he was responsible for a portfolio that included Fandango ticketing, Vudu, Rotten Tomatoes, Flixster and Movieclips.

Chudasama previously served as senior director of software engineering at Upwork and as director of software engineering at eBay. Nieri’s previous experience includes serving as CEO of fashion distribution services at Savino Del Bene and as a sales and marketing executive at Tucano USA.

In addition, Trove appointed Shelley Bransten to its board of directors. Bransten serves as corporate vice president of global retail and consumer goods industries at Microsoft.

Brands

Kontoor Brands

Kontoor Brands Inc., owner of the Wrangler and Lee Brands, announced two executive leadership appointments.

Chris Waldeck, currently executive vice president (EVP) and global brand president of Lee, will become EVP, co-chief operating officer and global brand president of Lee. Waldeck will assume responsibility for Kontoor’s international markets and direct to consumer (DTC) channels.

Tom Waldron, currently EVP and global brand president of Wrangler, will become EVP, co-chief operating officer and global brand president of Wrangler. Waldron will have greater oversight of the operational side of the business, including product development, innovation and procurement enabling functions.

Hanesbrands

Hanesbrands announced that Jon Ram, president of global activewear, is departing the company, effective March 31, for a role at another firm to be closer to his family.

Hanesbrands is conducting an internal and external search for a successor. Hanesbrands makes everyday apparel under the Hanes, Champion and Bonds brands.

Guess

Guess Inc. announced that Dennis Secor was appointed interim chief financial officer (CFO), effective April 1.

Secor previously served as Guess CFO from 2006 to 2012 and succeeds Katie Anderson, who is stepping down to pursue another opportunity at a privately held company as CFO. The company plans to initiate a comprehensive search for a permanent CFO, with the assistance of an executive search firm.

Under the terms of the company’s agreement with Secor, he will remain at Guess through March 2023 to support the company while the search for a permanent CFO is conducted.

Since 2021, Secor has operated his own management consulting practice in New Zealand, providing professional financial and operation management services to small and medium sized businesses.

Vans

CEOs were named at AWI, Bast Fibers, Tailored Brands and Zulily, and Neiman Marcus, Guess and Parachute have new chief financial officers.
Kevin Bailey Courtesy

VF Corp. appointed Kevin Bailey to the position of global brand president of Vans.

Bailey will continue reporting to VF’s chairman, president and CEO, Steve Rendle and serving on the company’s executive leadership team. This appointment marks Bailey’s return to the Vans brand after holding several enterprise leadership roles at VF, including president of Vans, a role he held from 2009 to 2016.

Bailey most recently served as VF’s president, Asia-Pacific region and emerging brands. Bailey replaces Doug Palladini, who served as global brand president of Vans since 2016.

Parachute

Parachute, a multi-category home brand, appointed Jeff Barker as the company’s first chief financial officer (CFO).

Barker will oversee all financial functions for Parachute, with a focus on ensuring profitable growth as the company continues to execute its long-term business strategy. Barker is the third recent C-level strategic hire for the company, as Parachute continues to purposefully expand its executive leadership team.

Previously, Barker served as CFO and chief operating officer at JLab Audio, which specializes in making personal, high-performance audio devices. He was also CFO of the sporting goods company TaylorMade Golf Company.

Missoni

Missoni appointed Filippo Grazioli as creative director of the men’s and women’s lines, with responsibility for the image of the lifestyle brand.

Alberto Caliri, designer of the last two collections, will enhance the Missoni Home Collection, under the creative supervision of Rosita Missoni, and Missoni Sport, in collaboration with Davide Tognetti.

Canada Goose

Canada Goose Holdings Inc. appointed Belinda Wong, chairman of Starbucks China and executive vice president of Starbucks, to the Canada Goose board of directors.

Erem

Erem, a sustainable desert performance footwear brand, announced four new hires.

Sofia DeWolfe joins Erem as the brand’s digital marketing manager. DeWolfe most recently served as marketing manager at Chums, maker of eyewear and outdoor accessories.

Jeff LaBonte, who was the go-to-market and brand marketing manager at Vail Resorts, came onboard as senior marketing manager. Nick Wheeler was appointed Erem’s director of growth marketing. Formerly, he worked at Quirk Auto Dealers.

Emily Macon, who previously worked as an adventure guide for REI, joined as a marketing coordinator with a focus on providing consumer insights from the field to assist brand-building efforts.

Good American

Good American named Jamaal Layne as its first chief marketing officer (CMO). In this role, Layne’s goal is to champion the brand’s platform, while tapping into new audiences to increase consumer awareness and extend the brand’s reach and impact beyond its core product.

Most recently, he was executive vice president of global brand and North America marketing at Calvin Klein.

Founded by Khloé Kardashian and Emma Grede, Good American is a fully inclusive fashion brand, offering products across a full size range. The brand champions inclusivity across its product categories, retail partnerships, diverse use of models, e-commerce sizing tool and programming such as Open Casting, which spotlights women of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds in the brand’s campaigns.

Textiles

Australian Wool Innovation

CEOs were named at AWI, Bast Fibers, Tailored Brands and Zulily, and Neiman Marcus, Guess and Parachute have new chief financial officers.
John Roberts Courtesy

Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) chairman Jock Laurie announced the appointment of John Roberts as CEO.

The decision follows a selection process conducted by international executive recruitment firm Heidrick and Struggles. Roberts had been acting in the role since October.

Roberts, who comes from a wool-producing family at Binalong, Ausralia, has worked in a wide range of roles at AWI, including managing international offices and being the company’s chief operating officer. He has also worked in private agribusiness companies, including as a wool buyer, trader and processor.

Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute

The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute announced the appointment of three new members to its board of directors.

The new members bring additional pivotal experience, networks and leadership that will help to further scale the positive impact of the Institute across the globe and accelerate a safe, just and circular transition. They are Andrea Álvares, chief brand, innovation, international and sustainability officer at Brazilian global personal care cosmetics group Natura & Co.; Joel Makower, chairman and co-founder of media and events company GreenBiz Group, and James Schaffer, chief strategy officer at integrated software platform Higg.

In addition, Dr. Christine Lemaitre, CEO of the German Sustainable Building Council and a Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute Institute board member since 2019, was appointed to serve as the board vice chair. The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute is dedicated to powering innovation for the circular economy through products and systems that have a positive impact on people and planet. The institute sets the global standard for products that are safe, circular and made responsibly.

Bast Fibre Technologies

CEOs were named at AWI, Bast Fibers, Tailored Brands and Zulily, and Neiman Marcus, Guess and Parachute have new chief financial officers.
James Posa Courtesy

Bast Fibre Technologies (BFT), a manufacturer of premium natural fibers, named James Posa president and CEO.

BFT co-founder and former CEO, Noel Hall, will now transition to executive chair focusing on the long-term strategic priorities for the company.

Posa first joined BFT in September 2018 as a business development consultant and in April 2020 was appointed to the role of president and general manager. Using advanced fiber processing technology, BFT transforms raw fibers from hemp, linen and cotton plants to meet the exacting standards required by nonwoven and textile customers.

Logistics

Port of Long Beach

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners approved the appointment of Tasha Higgins to lead the Program Management Division at the Port of Long Beach, effective March 26.

The division, part of the Port’s Engineering Services Bureau, oversees improvements to waterways, wharfs, terminals, railroads, bridges, roadways and utilities. Higgins started at the Port of Long Beach in October 2020 as assistant director of program management.

Technology

Digital River

Digital River appointed Krista Berry to its board of directors.

Berry was most recently chief revenue officer for Everlane. She has also served as chief digital officer for Kohl’s and general manager of North America direct-to-consumer for Nike.

Digital River is headquartered in Minneapolis with offices across the U.S., Asia, Europe and South America. Its global seller services combines payments, tax, fraud, compliance and logistics into a single integrated solution.

Comment Sold

Comment Sold appointed Andrew Chen as chief product officer.

In his new role, he will be accelerating and scaling product investments, building and evolving the company’s team of product managers and designers, and helping to launch new, innovative products for Comment Sold’s thousands of merchants. Most recently, Chen served as senior vice president of product, design and data for Global-e.

Comment Sold provides technology infrastructure retail businesses need to operate and grow their businesses. The digital platform is based in Huntsville, Ala.

Attabotics

Attabotics, a 3D robotics supply chain system, announced today the addition of Edna M. Conway to the company’s board of directors.

Currently vice president and security and risk officer for cloud infrastructure at Microsoft, Conway brings 30 years of leadership experience to Attabotics’ board.

The appointment comes on the heels of the company’s recent expansion of its board with the additions of Dave MacDonald as chair and Gary Moss to the role of chair of the audit committee. Attabotics has been adopted by major brands including Nordstrom and other retailers across apparel, food and beverage and home goods. Attabotics is based in Calgary, Canada, with fulfillment centers in the U.S. and Canada.