Retail
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. announced that on Sept. 10, 2019, CEO Daniel Zhang will succeed Jack Ma as chairman of the board.
Ma will continue as executive chairman of the company over the next 12 months to ensure a smooth transition of the chairmanship. Ma will also complete his current term as a member of Alibaba Group’s board of directors until its annual general meeting of shareholders in 2020.
Ma is a lifetime partner in the Alibaba Partnership and is a member of its partnership committee. The Alibaba Partnership is currently comprised of 36 partners who are also members of senior management of Alibaba Group or its affiliates. Pursuant to the articles of association of Alibaba Group, the Alibaba Partnership has the right to nominate a majority of the directors to the board of the company.
Alibaba Group’s mission is to make it easy to do business anywhere and the company aims to achieve sustainable growth for 102 years. For the fiscal year ended March 2018, the company reported revenues of $39.9 billion.
Abercrombie & Fitch
Abercrombie & Fitch Co. appointed Gregory J. Henchel as senior vice president and general counsel, effective Oct. 1.
Henchel brings 25 years of broad legal experience to the company, including more than 10 years in the retail sector. He was previously with HSN Inc., where he served as chief legal officer for the multi-channel retailer. Prior to that, Henchel served as general counsel at Tween Brands, Inc.
Henchel will lead A&F Co.’s global legal department and serve as corporate secretary. He will report to CEO Fran Horowitz.
N Brown Group
Angela Spindler, CEO of U.K. apparel retailer N Brown Group, will leave her role at the end of this month after more than five years in the post.
The board of N Brown Group said it will begin a search to replace Spindler, who has led the business through a period of significant change and its transition towards online retailing. The board has asked Steve Johnson, currently CEO of the financial services unit of the company, to assume the role of interim group CEO until a new chief executive is in place. Johnson will join the company’s board, as well.
N Brown is one of the U.K.’s leading online retailers. Its key retail brands are JD Williams, Simply Be and Jacamo. It offers an extensive range of products, predominantly clothing, footwear and homewares.
Le Château
Le Château Inc. appointed Angie Park as vice president of design and merchandising for Ladies, following the resignation of Catriona Belsham at the same position.
Park joined the company in 2002 and has been a vice president since 2015. Le Château is a Canadian specialty retailer and manufacturer of apparel, footwear and accessories for women and men, with a network of 144 locations across Canada and an e-commerce platform servicing Canada and the U.S.