Retail
REI
REI Co-op’s board of directors named Eric Artz as president and CEO. Artz had been interim CEO since February.
Artz has been with REI for seven years, most recently as chief operating officer and before that as chief financial officer before becoming interim CEO.
The co-op recently reported earnings of $2.78 billion in 2018 and has reported year-over-year growth in revenues every year since 2003. Those results are helping REI do more for the outdoor community, like expanding the co-op’s used gear and rental programs, reinvesting more than 70 percent of its profits in the outdoor community and advancing sustainability across the industry.
Artz is also vice chairman of the Outdoor Industry Association and sits on the board of the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust in Washington State.
REI is a specialty outdoor retailer, headquartered near Seattle. The nation’s largest consumer co-op, REI is a growing community of more than 18 million members. REI has 154 stores in 35 states and the District of Columbia, and operates the REI.com e-commerce site.
Brands
PVH
PVH Corp. appointed Marie Gulin-Merle to the newly created role of PVH chief digital officer (CDO), in addition to her current position as chief marketing officer of its Calvin Klein Inc. unit.
As CDO, Gulin-Merle will lead PVH’s global digital strategy and transformation. She will focus on defining and executing the company’s strategic priorities to drive consumer engagement and invest in and evolve how it operates by leveraging technology to be dynamic, nimble and forward-thinking. Gulin-Merle’s responsibilities will include increasing the company’s digital excellence, leveraging consumer insights and data capabilities, anticipating channel shifts and leading a digital council within PVH.
Since joining PVH, Gulin-Merle has spearheaded important initiatives, including building and aligning information capabilities with all regions and upskilling PVH teams through a Digital Academy. Working in cooperation with Google, she has also forged a global strategic partnership in enterprise-level, data-driven marketing using a new ad-tech platform across PVH brands.
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Made-to-measure apparel specialist Indochino made two key leadership team additions. The company welcomed Alex Buhler as chief technology officer and Vanessa Pillay as vice president of finance.
The appointments, which closely follow the brand’s international debut, will play a significant role in Indochino’s continued development as a global apparel brand.
As CTO, Buhler will be responsible for expanding the company’s omnichannel infrastructure, partnering closely across the management team. He brings more than 20 years of experience supporting high growth, data-driven companies. Previously, he was CTO at Clearly, part of the ophthalmic optics company Essilor Group, and chief information officer of Mountain Equipment Co-op.
Pillay most recently lead the finance team at Microsoft South Africa. As vice president of finance for Indochino, she will report to chief financial officer Morgan Whitney.
Indochino has 45 showrooms in the U.S. and Canada, with up to 15 more planned for 2019. The company recently extended its range of custom products beyond formalwear to include options such as chinos and casual shirts.
Canada Goose promoted Ana Mihaljevic to chief commercial officer, overseeing the company’s global commercial business, including sales planning and operations, with a strong focus on driving continued growth in wholesale and direct to consumer channels, as well as international expansion.
Mihaljevic joined Canada Goose in 2015 and most recently served as senior vice president of planning and sales operations.
Rick Wood, who previously served as chief commercial officer, will move into a new role, serving as executive advisor on key strategic projects. In his new position, Wood will advise on several strategic commercial endeavors, including working closely with Baffin Limited, a business the company recently acquired.
Canada Goose has grown into one of the leading makers of performance luxury apparel. From Antarctic research facilities and the Canadian High Arctic, to the streets of New York, London, Milan, Paris, and Tokyo, Canada Goose is known for its Made in Canada commitment.
Mad Engine
Cindy Levitt joined Mad Engine as senior vice president of licensing.
Levitt was previously senior vice president of merchandising, marketing and licensing at Hot Topic. She began her career as a merchant for May Departments Stores and went on to include duties such as president of licensed apparel specialist Now and Zen, president of Headline Entertainment, consultant for Warner Bros Consumer Products and co-creator and executive producer of “The Scream Awards” for Viacom’s Spike TV channel.
Levitt has been honored as “Wonder Woman Retailer of the Year” by Women in Toys and “Woman of Inspiration” by Fashion Delivers-Delivering Good. She currently serves as Chairman of the Board for the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers Association.
Mad Engine has grown from a small T-shirt supplier to a designer and distributor of licensed apparel. The company has diversified product offerings by launching additional divisions outside of its core men’s apparel to include women’s apparel, loungewear and accessories.
Textiles
Kaltex America
Kaltex America made two key appointments to help grow its business.
Hebe Schecter, CEO and president of Kaltex America, said Jack Mathews joined the company as senior vice president of denim. Mathews will lead strategic initiatives for the denim fabric division.
Schecter also announced that Lisa Valente joined Kaltex as chief merchandising officer of apparel. Valente will lead the company’s strategic apparel growth efforts in the U.S. and Europe.
Mathews has spent more than 30 years in the denim industry and has held executive positions at Cone Mills, American Cotton Growers and most recently at Artistic Denim Mills Ltd. He has also held leadership positions in various industry associations, including the Cotton Board and American Apparel Producers Network, and served as a delegate on the National Cotton Council.
Valente has held various retail leadership positions with Old Navy, Sears Holdings and Kohls Department stores. She brings 25 years of denim manufacturing experience, including private-label brand development, global fabric research and wash development, cost engineering and merchandising.
Calik Denim
Calik Denim appointed Fatih Doğan as general manager of the Turkish denim manufacturer.
Doğan joined the Calik Denim in 2001 as an account specialist and has worked in various executive positions, including finance director from 2009 and deputy general manager from 2016. Since 2009, he has also held other executive positions throughout the Calik Group, including deputy chairman of the board.
He is also a member of the board of directors at Calik Cotton, which supplies cotton grown in Turkey and internationally to textile industrialists in domestic and global markets.