From Lord & Taylor to Balenciaga, here’s a look at the latest executive moves in the apparel and footwear industries.
Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor president Liz Rodbell is exiting the company at the end of this month. Rodbell, held various leadership positions at the retailer for more than 30 years, including executive vice president and chief merchant of Hudson’s Bay and Lord & Taylor since 2012. Rodbell, who has held her current title since 2014, also served as president of Hudson’s Bay in Canada until last June. A replacement for Rodbell has not been named.
Recycled Karma Brands
Recycled Karma Brands appointed Jene Park as its creative director to expand its presence in the women’s contemporary and designer apparel markets. Park joins the company from luxury retailer Thomas Wylde, and will launch her first Recycled Karma Brands collections for the Holiday season. As an industry veteran with more than 25 years experience, Park’s resume includes stints at BCBG Max Azria Group and has also consulted for various industry clients at her production and design company, Jen E. Jen.
Lacoste
Lacoste tapped Gianni Georgiades to helm its footwear division. Georgiades joins Lacoste from Ugg, where he was the shoe brand’s CEO for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. His has also held executive positions at Coach, U.K. luxury department store Harrods and OTB Group, a global apparel company.
Smartrac
IoT solutions provider Smartrac named Michael Wai as its vice president of sales for the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. In his role, Wai will oversee customer service and sales in the APAC region. Wai joins Smartrac from Identiv, a global security identification provider, where he recently served as APAC vice president of sales.
Balenciaga
Luxury fashion label Balenciaga hired Daniel Motta Mello to lead its communications operations in the Americas. Mello joins Balenciaga from Karla Otto, an international public relations agency, where he was vice president. His career includes stints at Christian Dior Couture and New York-based designer label Proenza Schouler.
Irisys
Irisys, a global retail analytics and in-store technology company, appointed Lorie Fontaine-Demski as customer program director. Fontaine-Demski, who has more than 20 years of retail management experience, has been retail business consultant for Irisys since 2011, where she worked on implementing the company’s services with retailers including Kroger and Raley’s Supermarkets.