Brands
Under Armour
The board of directors of Under Armour Inc. announced that president and chief operating officer (COO) Patrik Frisk will become the company’s CEO, effective Jan. 1.
Kevin Plank, who has served as chairman and CEO since he founded the company in 1996, will become executive chairman and brand chief, continuing to lead Under Armour’s board while focusing on product elevation, amplifying the brand story and stewarding the company’s strong team culture.
Frisk will report to Plank and will join Under Armour’s board. He joined Under Armour in 2017, following nearly 30 years of experience in the apparel, footwear and retail industry. Prior to Under Armour, he was CEO of the Aldo Group, a global footwear and accessories company.
Nike
The board of directors of Nike Inc. announced that John Donahoe will be appointed as the company’s new president and CEO, effective Jan. 13.
At the same time, Mark Parker, CEO since 2006 and chairman, president and CEO since 2016, will become executive chairman and continue to lead the board, and work closely with Donahoe and the senior management team.
Donahoe is the current president and CEO of ServiceNow Inc. and also serves on its board. He is also chairman of PayPal Holdings Inc. From 2008 through 2015, he was president and CEO of eBay Inc. and previously was the CEO and Worldwide Managing Director of Bain & Co. from 1999 to 2005.
Donahoe will remain on the board of Nike, where he has been a member since 2014.
Tommy Hilfiger
Tommy Hilfiger, a unit of PVH Corp., appointed Michael Scheiner as chief marketing officer of Tommy Hilfiger Global, effective Oct. 28.
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Scheiner joins Tommy Hilfiger from Hollister Co., where he served as senior vice president (SVP) for global marketing. He will utilize his passion and experience to lead Tommy Hilfiger into a new era of innovative marketing strategies, particularly across digital and experiential platforms, to reach and engage the next generation of consumers.
Scheiner will relocate to the Tommy Hilfiger global headquarters in Amsterdam.
Adidas
After 25 years at Adidas, Eric Liedtke, executive board member of Adidas AG responsible for Global Brands, informed the supervisory board that he will not be available as an executive board member for the entire next strategic cycle starting in 2021.
To ensure his successor can be fully integrated into developing the Adidas strategy beyond 2020, the board has, in mutual agreement with Liedtke, approved the termination of his appointment as an executive board member, effective Dec, 31.
Liedtke joined Adidas in 1994 as global line manager for cross training in Portland, Ore. During his 25-year career with Adidas, Liedtke has held senior management positions of increasing responsibility at Adidas America and the Adidas AG Headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany.
Retail
J.C. Penney
J.C. Penney Company Inc. announced that Brooke Buchanan will join the company on Oct. 28 as SVP of communications, reporting to CEO Jill Soltau.
Most recently, Buchanan served as SVP of corporate affairs at Whole Foods Market, where she led the company through both the 2017 merger with Amazon and the transition that followed. She also served as vice president (VP) of communications for Theranos, VP of public relations for Williams-Sonoma Inc., and held multiple communications senior leadership roles at Walmart Stores Inc.
The company also welcomed Robin Beuthin as VP of creative marketing, reporting to Shawn Gensch, executive vice president (EVP) and chief customer officer. Beuthing will be responsible for designing, managing and bringing the company’s brand storytelling to life through creative vision, voice and content.
Beuthin joins J.C. Penney from the Walt Disney Company, where she most recently served as VP of retail brand and creative. In that role, she was responsible for managing the brand and creative vision across stores, e-commerce and third-party retail, including its Walmart, Target and Amazon partnerships.
Retail Industry Leaders Association
Sandy Kennedy announced her plans to retire at the end of 2019 after 17 years as president of the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA).
Kennedy remade the niche trade association, previously known as the International Mass Retail Association, into RILA in 2004, transforming it into an agile and effective force that serves America’s leading retailers. In 2009, RILA formed the Retail Litigation Center (RLC) dedicated to advocating for the industry’s top priorities in the federal and state judiciary.
Under her leadership, RILA has grown its membership, revenue, influence and stature in the industry and in Washington, D.C. Building upon this growth, in June Kennedy moved RILA’s headquarters to new offices near Capitol Hill to improve RILA’s proximity to the Hill and further enhance the association’s profile and ability to showcase its members to lawmakers.
Kennedy will stay on board through the end of 2019 to ensure a successful transition to a new leadership team.
On Jan. 1, RILA chief operating officer Brian Dodge will succeed Kennedy as RILA president. As COO, Dodge has guided the development and execution of the association’s public affairs strategy, working closely with Kennedy to identify industry challenges and opportunities while building consensus among member companies on strategic initiatives.
Rue21
Fast-fashion chain Rue21 named Catherine Morisano as chief merchandising officer and Mary Blodgett as SVP of stores. Morisano and Blodgett report to Michael C. Appel, Rue21 chairman and CEO.
Prior to joining Rue21, Morisano was EVP and chief merchant at Charlotte Russe. She succeeds Karen Pinney, who has left the company.
Blodgett comes to Rue21 from Charming Charlie, where she was SVP of stores. She succeeds Dirk Armstrong, who has also left the company.
Headquartered just north of Pittsburgh, Rue21 operates 697 stores in 45 states and online at rue21.com.
Logistics
UPS
UPS announced that COO Jim Barber will retire at the end of the year. Serving UPS for nearly 35 years, he joined the company as a delivery driver in 1985 and rose through positions of increasing responsibility.
Barber is credited for leading UPS’s international growth in mature and emerging Asian and European markets, while more recently prioritizing investments to capture opportunities in south-to-south trade in the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East and Africa.
PayCargo
PayCargo announced several appointments in its executive ranks.
The financial freight company said Brian Akers is taking on the role of VP of sales, working alongside Timothy Walton, who is also VP of sales and has been with PayCargo since 2013.
Akers has more than 20 years of experience in global logistics through leading teams across the U.S., Canada and Latin America.
PayCargo also said Leonardo Hanon is moving from the role of assistant VP of sales to assistant VP of operations. Hanon has more than 20 years of experience in management and leadership and he will lead the day-to-day operations of the customer service team.
The moves came after Lionel van der Walt joined as president and CEO of the Americas in July. The appointment of van der Walt followed a global agreement between PayCargo and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) earlier this year to create the IATA-PayCargo System, an advanced and efficient payment settlement system for the air cargo industry.
Van der Walt spent over a decade at IATA, where he held various leadership roles based out of South Africa, Spain and the U.S., including president at Cargo Network Services Corp., IATA’s cargo subsidiary in the U.S.
Van der Walt replaced Eduardo Del Riego as CEO of The Americas. Del Riego is now leading PayCargo’s global strategies and expansions as global CEO.
Paxxal
Paxxal Inc., a provider of shipping platforms, appointed Richard N. San Martin as COO. San Martin will report to Ben Stoller, CEO and executive managing member of Paxxal, and will have global responsibility for manufacturing, logistics and operational activities.
San Martin most recently served as EVP of operations, logistics and business development at RM2 USA, a North American composite “Smart Pallet” shipping platform rental company.
Paxxal specializes in logistics-related products and services in the supply chain sector. It focuses on improving supply chain efficiencies through manufacturing, logistics, reusable rental markets, robust data analytics and services.
Technology
Toshiba
Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions promoted Bill Campbell to SVP of global sales–the company’s top worldwide sales executive role.
In this capacity, Campbell will lead global direct and channel sales efforts for the market share leader in installed point of sales systems. Campbell has more than 20 years of retail sales leadership experience and most recently led the company’s sales efforts in the Americas.
Prior to joining Toshiba, Campbell was VP, head of information technology and business intelligence at Fresh Thyme Market, where he was responsible for managing IT strategy, system evaluation, selection and management.
Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions is a global market share leader in retail store technology and integrated in-store solutions.
Textiles
Kraig Biocraft Labs
Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Inc., a developer of spider silk-based fibers, announces it has selected Jon Rice, the company’s COO, to join its board of directors, as the company advances and strengthens its corporate governance.
Rice has served as the COO of Kraig Biocraft Laboratories since 2015. In this role, he has overseen and led operations at the company’s domestic research and development headquarters, as well as the recent breakthroughs in the scale up of its international production operations, through its subsidiary, Prodigy Textiles Co.
Rice’s term is expected to begin this quarter. Once formally seated, Rice, and the three recently announced new independent directors, will join chairman and CEO Kim Thompson to form the majority independent controlled board, which is intended to satisfy the uplisting requirement of a national exchange.