Brands
Authentic Brands Group
Authentic Brands Group (ABG) announced that Matthew Goldstein joined the company as senior vice president of entertainment and special projects.
In this newly established role, Goldstein will spearhead the development and expansion of two new divisions within ABG–Authentic Live, the company’s new vertical for branded experiences, hospitality and ticketing, and Authentic Productions, an event and content production arm that will service all ABG brands and partners globally.
He will also develop strategic partnerships for the company’s Entertainment division, with a focus on endorsements, media, content and sports betting. Goldstein will be located in ABG’s global headquarters in New York.
Goldstein brings 20 years of experience in branding, sales, marketing, business development and leadership. He was a driving force behind the success of Madison Square Garden Company’s (MSG) marketing partnerships team, helping transform how the company views and creates strategic partnerships by ideating and implementing large-scale, 360-degree relationships with many of the biggest artists in the music industry.
Reebok
Reebok creative director Kerby Jean-Raymond said he will step down after just 17 months in the role.
The Pyer Moss founder’s planned departure, currently scheduled for March 1, comes as Adidas, Reebok’s owner of 16 years, prepares to sell the sneaker brand to Authentic Brands Group.
Jean-Raymond founded the New York men’s and women’s contemporary apparel label Pyer Moss in 2013. His partnership with Reebok began with the debut of the Reebok by Pyer Moss line in 2017. In September 2020, the brand promoted Jean-Raymond to vice president of creative direction.
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In that role, he was tasked with heading up all design disciplines for Reebok, working in tandem with its product, global marketing and development teams to implement his design strategy across all of the brand’s consumer touch points. A member of the senior leadership team, the native New Yorker reported directly to Reebok president Matt O’Toole.
Arc’teryx Equipment
Arc’teryx Equipment, a manufacturer of high-performance outerwear and equipment, named Chris Tham as the company’s first chief financial officer (CFO), a newly created role reporting directly to Arc’teryx CEO Stuart Haselden.
Tham brings more than 20 years of corporate financial and strategic planning experience across the global lifestyle sector. Previously, he was CFO at Bailey Nelson, where he oversaw the optical retail chain’s global finance function, strategic planning, commercial operations and data analytics. Prior to this, he led the financial operations in the Asia Pacific and EMEA regions for Lululemon.
Arc’teryx is a Canadian company based in the Coast Mountains, distributes its products through more than 2,400 retail locations worldwide, including over 115 branded stores.
Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson Inc. appointed Erica Bullard as senior vice president of apparel and licensing and Louise Goldin as creative director.
The company said the announcement coincides with the strategic renaming of Harley-Davidson’s general merchandise function to apparel and licensing. This newly created function will leverage Harley-Davidson’s recently opened creative studio in New York City’s TriBeCa neighborhood, in addition to the company’s established design studio and archive in Milwaukee.
In this newly created role, reporting into CEO Jochen Zeitz, Bullard will lead the global apparel and licensing business for the Harley-Davidson brand. She joins Harley-Davidson from Nike Inc., most recently serving as vice president and general manager of Nike NYC and the East, where she was responsible for driving accelerated growth and a connected retail marketplace in New York City with impacts across the East territory, North America and the globe.
Goldin will head the new studio and design teams in New York and Milwaukee, bringing her expertise in applying advanced technology and functionality to the intersection of modern lifestyle design and fit-for-purpose apparel at Harley-Davidson.
Harley-Davidson Inc. is the parent company of Harley-Davidson Motor Company and Harley-Davidson Financial Services.
Ruby Ribbon
Ruby Ribbon, a social commerce-driven women’s intimates, shapewear, swimwear and athleisure company, appointed Dana Long as chief marketing officer.
Prior to joining Ruby Ribbon, Long led the global brand and digital marketing teams for The Walt Disney Company for seven years, where she worked on the global brand marketing and product development teams for its Interactive Division.
Retail
Foot Locker
Foot Locker Inc., a New York-based specialty athletic retailer, appointed Robert Higginbotham as vice president of investor relations.
Higginbotham will be responsible for leading Foot Locker’s investor relations function, including engagement with the company’s shareholders, investors and analyst community. He will report to Andrew Page, executive vice president and chief financial officer.
Higginbotham previously served as senior analyst and co-portfolio manager at Banco BTG Pactual S.A.; vice president and senior analyst at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey Inc, and vice president in equity research at Goldman Sachs & Co.
James Lance, who previously served in this position, continues with the organization in an expanded role as vice president of financial planning and analysis.
Foot Locker’s portfolio of brands includes Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Champs Sports, Eastbay, Atmos, WSS, Footaction and Sidestep, with a combined store count of approximately 3,000 units in 28 countries across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, as well as websites and mobile apps.
RILA
The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) announced that Foot Locker Inc. chairman and CEO Richard Johnson will serve as the new chair of the board of directors, following an election that took place at its semi-annual board of directors meeting coinciding with RILA’s Retail CEO Forum in Naples, Fla.
Johnson, who succeeds Mary Dillon of Ulta Beauty, will serve a two-year term. In addition, RILA added six new members to its board. They are Ron Coughlin, CEO of Petco Health and Wellness Company Inc.; David Kimbell, CEO of Ulta Beauty Inc.; John Standley, executive vice president of Walgreens Boots Alliance and president of Walgreens; Jeffrey Lavers, group president of consumer at 3M Company; Girish Rishi, CEO of BlueYonder, and Alec Gefrides, vice president for Internet of Things at Intel Corporation.
Express
The board of directors of fashion apparel retailer Express Inc. named Patricia E. Lopez as a class II director.
Lopez has experience in global marketing and general management roles. She was previously CEO of High Ridge Brands. Her background also includes leadership positions at Procter & Gamble, Avon and Estée Lauder. She currently serves on the boards of Domino’s Pizza, Acreage Holdings and Virtue Labs.
Express operates more than 550 retail and outlet stores in the United States and Puerto Rico, the express.com online store and the Express mobile app. Express Inc. is comprised of the brands Express and UpWest.
Textiles
Ocean State Innovations
Ocean State Innovations, a textile provider, appointed Geoff Senko as senior vice president of sales.
Most recently, Senko was national account manager for MMI Textiles and served on the military board of IFAI and the SEAMS Board.
Founded in 1913 as Brand and Oppenheimer Company, in 2019, Brand and Oppenheimer became Ocean State Innovations to continue the tradition of quality textiles, while focusing on the company’s innovative industry expertise and Rhode Island roots.
Technology
Lightspeed Commerce
Lightspeed Commerce Inc., a platform for merchants to simplify, scale and create customer experiences, announced that as part of its long-term succession planning process, the Lightspeed board of directors appointed current president JP Chauvet to the role of CEO. He will lead Lightspeed’s continued growth, strategic development and execution.
The company also announced that founder and outgoing CEO Dax Dasilva will continue to serve Lightspeed as executive chair of the board, working with Chauvet and the board to set the strategic direction of the company, with a focus on furthering Lightspeed’s business advocacy and global sustainability initiatives through stakeholder outreach, customer advocacy, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
In connection with this transition, Patrick Pichette, current chair, will become the board’s lead independent director.
Chauvet joined Lightspeed in October 2012 as chief revenue officer and became a board member in September 2013. In April 2016, he was named president and throughout his tenure has been integral to advancing Lightspeed’s mission, including leading many of the company’s strategic acquisitions, its listings on the Toronto Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange.
Lightspeed’s cloud commerce solution transforms and unifies online and physical operations, multichannel sales, expansion to new locations, global payments, financial solutions and connection to supplier networks. With teams across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific, the company serves retail, hospitality and golf businesses in more than 100 countries.
My Size
My Size Inc., a provider of AI-driven measurement solutions to drive revenue growth and reduce costs for its business clients, appointed Javier Brandwain as its first chief commercial officer.
Most recently, Brandwain served as director of Latin America and Caribbean at 7 For All Mankind International, where he was in charge of business development and expansion, and managed operations across Latin America and the Caribbean.
My Size has developed measurement technology based on algorithms and cutting-edge technology with broad applications, including for the apparel, e-commerce, shipping, and parcel delivery industries.
True Fit
True Fit, a platform for apparel and footwear retailers to optimize fit guidance and drive confidence for shoppers, has further strengthened its executive team with two strategic hires to underpin scaling growth.
True Fit appointed Raj Chandrasekaran as its chief technology officer (CTO), and Tracy Gray as general counsel. True Fit said these strategic hires will bolster its growth plans as it scales on the back of an 85 percent increase in revenue.
Chandrasekaran draws on experience at eBay, OpenTable and Roku. As CTO, he will provide strategic direction and leadership, overseeing global technology operations and teams.
The company said Gray’s expertise in intellectual property, consumer protection and data privacy will underpin her role as general counsel. True Fit’s platform consists of footwear, apparel and consumer data, representing 17,000 brands and more than 82 million active members.