Retail
J.C. Penney
J.C. Penney Company announced that Karl Walsh, an executive with more than 18 years of e-commerce expertise, joined the company as senior vice president (SVP) and chief digital officer, to lead strategic advancements of the company’s digital platforms and bring the customer experience to life.
Walsh will report to Shawn Gensch, executive vice president (EVP) and chief customer officer.
Most recently, Walsh was chief digital officer at Pandora Jewelry, where he grew its global e-commerce business and increased cross-channel consumer engagement. Previously, he led the U.S. consumer e-commerce and digital practice for Boston Consulting Group and served clients in the consumer and retail practices at McKinsey & Company.
Macy’s
Macy’s Inc. announced that Hal Lawton, president of the Macy’s brand business, resigned.
Jeff Gennette, chairman and CEO of Macy’s, said Lawton made significant contributions to the business over the past two years, including improving the Macy’s operational cadence.
Lawton joined Macy’s as president in September 2017.
David’s Bridal
David’s Bridal promoted Callie Canfield to the newly created role of vice president of marketing and communications, reporting to chief marketing officer (CMO) Kelly Cook.
Canfield most recently served as senior director of global marketing communications. In her new role, Canfield will be responsible for overseeing the strategy, planning and implementation of David’s Bridal’s global marketing and communication initiatives.
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David’s Bridal has more than 300 stores located across the U.S., Canada, and U.K., and franchise locations in Mexico.
J.Jill
J.Jill Inc. appointed James S. Scully, who currently serves as a member of the board of directors, as interim CEO.
Linda Heasley has stepped down as president, CEO and a member of the board of J.Jill. The board has begun a search process and Scully will serve as interim CEO until the board has identified a replacement.
Scully previously served as EVP and chief operating officer (COO) of Avon Products Inc. Prior to that, he was COO of J. Crew Group Inc.
J.Jill is an omnichannel retailer and women’s apparel brand with 280 stores nationwide and an e-commerce platform.
Brands
Centric Brands
Centric Brands Inc. appointed Pamela Gill Alabaster as CMO, reporting to CEO Jason Rabin.
As a member of the executive leadership team, Alabaster will oversee the corporate marketing and communications functions.
Alabaster has more than 25 years of experience building consumer brands. She has served in executive leadership positions in brand marketing, corporate communications, public affairs and corporate responsibility at Revlon, The Estée Lauder Companies, L’Oréal and Philip Morris.
Centric Brands designs, sources, markets and sells high-quality products in the kids, men’s and women’s apparel, accessories, beauty and entertainment segments. The company’s portfolio includes more than 100 licensed brands, including Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Nautica, Spyder and Under Armour in the kid’s category; Joe’s Jeans Buffalo Hervé Léger and BCBG in men’s and women’s apparel; and Kate Spade, Michael Kors, All Saints, Frye, Timberland, Kenneth Cole and Jessica Simpson in accessories. The company’s owned brands include Hudson, Robert Graham, Swims and Avirex.
Origin USA
Origin USA appointed Don Miller as chief financial officer (CFO). Miller joins Origin USA after having served a nine-year tenure with BackOffice Associates, where he served in multiple leadership positions of increasing responsibility, including controller, director of financial operations and vice president of corporate planning and analysis.
Origin USA manufactures, markets and sells high-quality performance gear, apparel and nutritional supplements.
Gant
Patrik Söderström was appointed CEO for Gant.
Söderström will officially step into his new role on Feb. 1, but will immediately start to transition into the role from Brian Grevy, whose last day at Gant will be Jan. 31. He joined Gant in 2016 as EVP of global markets and has since then been key within the global management team.
Prior to Gant, he held the position of North European managing director at Luxottica and before that spent eight years at Reebok where he held several positions, both on a Nordic and European level.
Gaucho – Buenos Aires
Lautaro Amadeo Tambutto has joined Gaucho – Buenos Aires, an emerging luxury label with global ambitions, as a designer.
Tambutto joins a design team that includes Carmen Vils and Guido Spangenberg and will be working out of the atelier in Buenos Aires’ upmarket Recoleta district and the headquarters in New York City.
The designer plans to incorporate creative silhouettes and lots of leather with an urban spin for the young and culturally aware clientele. Chrome-free leather will be a major focus, not only because it’s more sustainable, but also because it showcases what he describes as the “noble and authentic” quality of Argentine leather hides.
In September, Gaucho – Buenos Aires entered the U.S. market with a Spring/Summer 2020 runway show at New York Fashion Week.
Logistics
UPS
UPS appointed Wes Wheeler, currently CEO of Marken, a wholly-owned subsidiary of UPS, as president of its global Healthcare and Life Sciences unit.
UPS announced plans in October to align all of its healthcare and life sciences operations and commercial groups within a single UPS HCLS unit. UPS’s HCLS unit provides extensive supply chain management, cold chain, clinical trials, global transportation and other critical healthcare service operations.
Wheeler joined UPS as part of the company’s acquisition of Marken in 2016. He started his career as a project manager for Exxon Research and Engineering. Since then, he has served in numerous leadership positions, including vice president of marketing, SVP of global manufacturing and supply at Glaxo and as CEO and president at Patheon, Valeant, DSM Pharmaceuticals and Marken.
J.B. Hunt
J.B. Hunt Transport Services announced the planned succession of the top leadership for its intermodal business unit.
Effective April 1, Terry Matthews will retire from his current duties as EVP and president of Intermodal. Darren Field will formally assume this role on that date. This change is part of a methodical process that has been in development for the past several quarters.
J.B. Hunt Transport Services provides innovative supply chain solutions for a variety of customers throughout North America. J.B. Hunt services include intermodal, dedicated, refrigerated, truckload, less-than-truckload, flatbed, single source and final mile.
Technology
Berkshire Grey
Berkshire Grey, a developer of AI and robotic solutions for e-commerce, retail resupply and logistics, appointed Steve Johnson as president and COO.
Reporting to CEO Tom Wagner, Johnson will focus on customer engagement, strategy and operations through the company’s current hypergrowth phase. Prior to joining Berkshire Grey, he served as the chief commercial officer of Intelex, a global enterprise software company that was acquired by Industrial Scientific.