Brands
PVH
PVH Corp. appointed Stefan Larsson to the newly created role of president, effective June 3.
Larsson will have the responsibility for managing PVH’s branded businesses and regions, with each of the three brand CEOs and the regional presidents reporting to him. He will report to Emanuel Chirico, PVH’s chairman and CEO. At the same time, Chirico signed a new five-year employment agreement with the company.
Larsson was most recently CEO of Ralph Lauren Corp. Prior to that, he served as global president of Old Navy, a division of Gap Inc.
PVH’s brand portfolio includes the Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Van Heusen, Izod, Arrow, Speedo, Warner’s, Olga and Geoffrey Beene brands, as well as the digital-centric True & Co. intimates brand. PVH has over 38,000 associates operating in more than 40 countries and $9.7 billion in annual revenue.
Retail
Express
Express Inc. announced that the company’s board of directors has appointed Timothy Baxter as CEO, effective June 17.
Baxter will assume day-to-day leadership of the company and will also join Express’ board. He will succeed Matthew Moellering, who has served as interim president and interim CEO since January. Moellering will remain with Express as executive vice president and chief operating officer.
Baxter was most recently CEO of Delta Galil Premium Brands. Prior to that, he spent 26 years with Macy’s Inc. and the former May Department Stores in various roles, most recently as Macy’s chief merchandising officer.
Express operates more than 600 retail and factory outlet stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, as well as a website and mobile app. In addition, Express merchandise is available at franchise locations and online in Latin America.
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Inditex’s Appointments Committee, at the proposal of its executive chairman, Pablo Isla, agreed to submit for approval to the board of directors the appointment of Carlos Crespo, currently chief operating officer (COO), as the group’s CEO.
The appointment will take effect following approval by the board and shareholders at the firm’s annual general meeting in July. The company’s shareholders will also be asked to re-elect Isla as executive chairman.
In his new position as CEO, reporting to Isla, Crespo will be responsible for technology, IT security, logistics and transportation, construction and works, legal, procurement and sustainability. In addition, he will work together with Isla to define the overall business strategy.
Crespo began his career in auditing, joining Inditex in 2001 as the head of accounting policies in the finance department. After moving on to head up the administrative management of inventories at the group’s logistics platforms, in 2005 he assumed responsibility as internal audit director until 2018, when he was named chief operations officer, a position he will continue to hold until his appointment as CEO becomes definitive in July.
J.C. Penney
J.C. Penney Co. named Shawn Gensch executive vice president and chief customer officer, effective June 3, reporting directly to CEO Jill Soltau.
Gensch will be responsible for driving aggressive customer-centric strategies to grow traffic, engagement and customer retention, in addition to revitalizing the company’s brand, leading marketing initiatives across all channels, shaping the company’s messaging and delivering a successful digital experience and increased customer loyalty.
He will oversee the company’s marketing strategies and initiatives, including digital, advertising, creative design, customer research, loyalty, analytics and insights, social media, sales promotions and planning, and events marketing to deliver an integrated brand experience across all customer touchpoints.
Gensch joins J.C. Penney from Sprouts Farmers Market, where he served as chief customer officer, overseeing their brand and category marketing strategy, digital marketing, guest insights, customer relations, advertising, social media, private label brand strategy and public relations in support of its nationwide stores and e-commerce operations. Prior to that, he co-founded and served as CEDO of iAMroyalist Inc., a consumer-driven loyalty platform that connects the business intelligence from industries such as hospitality, retail and service to a secure global currency wallet.
Hibbett Sports
Hibbett Sports Inc. appointed Anthony F. Crudele as its independent chairman of its board of directors.
Crudele assumed this role from Michael J. Newsome, who retired from the board, as planned, following the company’s annual meeting of stockholders on Thursday. In addition, the board bestowed upon Newsome the honorary title of chairman emeritus for his 54 years of service with Hibbett.
Crudele has been a member of the company’s board since May 2012 and served as its lead director and chairman of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee since February 2017. His retail experience includes chief financial officer at Tractor Supply Company. Prior to that, Crudele served as senior vice president and CFO at The Sports Authority and Gibson Guitar.
Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., Hibbett is an athletic-inspired fashion retailer with more than 1,100 stores under the Hibbett Sports and City Gear banners, primarily located in small and mid-sized communities. It also operates the hibbett.com and citygear.com e-commerce web sites.
Sourcing
Li & Fung
Li & Fung shareholders re-elected Victor Fung as honorary chairman and William Fung as group chairman at the company’s annual general meeting in Hong Kong.
The shareholders also re-elected Marc Compagnon, non-executive director, and Martin Tang, independent non-executive director, to the company’s board of directors.