
Textiles
Augustine “Auggie” D. Tantillo, president and CEO of the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), announced his intention to retire from his position later this year.
NCTO formed a search committee last spring to select a replacement for Tantillo. After vetting numerous highly qualified individuals and conducting a thorough interview process with leading candidates, the organization said it intends to make a public announcement on Tantillo’ s replacement in the coming weeks.
Tantillo has worked in government service or government relations in Washington, D.C. since 1981. Prior to joining NCTO, he served as executive director of the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition, a trade association dedicated to furthering the interests of U.S. manufacturing, particularly with respect to textiles. At earlier points in his career, Tantillo was deputy assistant secretary for textiles and apparel at the U.S. Department of Commerce under President George H. W. Bush, and chief of staff to Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina.
NCTO is a Washington-based trade association that represents domestic textile manufacturers, including artificial and synthetic filament and fiber producers.
American Silk Mills
David R. Corbin has joined American Silk Mills as CEO, assuming responsibilities held by Cynthia Clark Douthit prior to her retirement. Douthit will consult with the company in areas of design and product development.
Prior to joining ASM, Corbin held positions as president and CEO at Real Home Furniture by Oak West, chief operations officer at Steve Silver Company, president of Southerland Inc., chief operating officer and senior vice president at Chromcraft Revington, and chief marketing officer and vice president of marketing at Home Meridian International.
American Silk Mills was acquired by Sutlej Textiles and Industries in November 2017. Its products include indoor and outdoor performance fabrics, fine jacquard textiles, high quality silks, a variety velvets and Sensuede, an eco-friendly synthetic suede.
Retail
Neiman Marcus Group announced the appointments of David Goubert as executive vice president of stores and retail experience, and Ginger Mollo as senior vice president of retail experience for the West Coast.
The company said these new senior executives will be integral in accelerating Neiman Marcus’ customer-centric strategy and evolving the store experience.
Goubert reports to Geoffroy van Raemdonck, CEO of Neiman Marcus Group. In this role, he will be responsible for creating “personalized, seamless and magical experiences” for the Neiman Marcus customer. Goubert joins Neiman Marcus from Starboard Cruise Services, a division of LVMH, where he was most recently senior vice president of Luxury Cruise Lines.
Mollo reports to Goubert and will be responsible for elevating the customer experience and piloting innovative new customer engagement tools and events. She joins Neiman Marcus after 18 years at Apple, where she held multiple senior management roles in their retail stores division.
Neiman Marcus Group operates under the Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus Last Call, Horchow and mytheresa brand names.
Stage Stores
Stage Stores Inc. promoted Jason Curtis to executive vice president, chief financial officer (CFO) and treasurer.
Curtis has been with Stage Stores since 2011, most recently serving as interim CFO since August 2018. Prior to that, he served as senior vice president of finance and credit.
Foot Locker Inc. announced several executive changes related to the realignment of its organizational operating model into three distinct geographical regions: Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Asia Pacific, and North America.
Overseeing Foot Locker’s growth expansion into Asia and continuing to lead the business in Asia Pacific will be Lew Kimble, who has been appointed to the role of executive vice president and CEO–Asia Pacific. In his new role, Kimble will oversee Asia’s growth plan, including driving brand strategy and store growth in Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia, and exploring additional expansion opportunities. He will also lead the effort to strengthen the digital channels, both owned websites and Tmall, and supply chain capabilities within the region.
Kimble has served as executive vice president and CEO–International since 2016.
As part of the transition, Vijay Talwar has been promoted to executive vice president and CEO–EMEA, becoming an executive officer of Foot Locker Inc. Talwar will focus on driving productivity and capitalizing on growth opportunities, while furthering an elevated multichannel experience across this important geography. In his new position, he will oversee strategic direction for the Foot Locker Europe and Runners Point Group brands, including franchise operations in the Middle East and overseeing operational functions.
Since joining the company in 2016 as president of Digital, Foot Locker.com/Eastbay, Talwar has played a significant role guiding the company’s omnichannel efforts, providing key insights, expertise and operational effectiveness to the organization.
Stephen (Jake) Jacobs will continue to serve as executive vice president and CEO–North America.
Foot Locker Inc. operates 3,220 stores in 27 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand through its Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Lady Foot Locker, Champs Sports, Footaction, Runners Point, Sidestep and SIX:02 retail chains.
Brands
Outdoor Voices
Activewear brand Outdoor Voices appointed Pamela Catlett as president and chief operating officer. Catlett, in tandem with the leadership of founder and CEO Tyler Haney, will be responsible for driving market leadership and accelerating growth for all aspects of Outdoor Voices.
Catlett was previously senior vice president and group general manager of the women’s and youth categories at Under Armour. Prior to that she was with Nike for more than 13 years, having served as the vice president and general manager of the women’s training and amplify category for two years, and as vice president of investor relations for 11 years.
Iconix
Iconix Brand Group Inc. appointed John T. McClain as chief financial officer (CFO), effective Feb. 11. McClain will report to Robert Galvin, CEO, president and a member of the board of directors.
From 2007 until its sale to Sycamore Partners in 2014, McClain was CFO at Jones Apparel Group. He has also held senior finance roles at Lindblad Expedition Holdings, Avis Budget Group, Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. and ITT Corp. McClain is currently a member of the board of directors for Lands’ End Inc. and Seritage Growth Properties.
As an inducement to accept his appointment and in lieu of his eligibility to participate in Iconix’s 2019 long-term incentive plan or any similar incentive plan effected in 2019, McClain will be granted restricted stock units equal to the number of Iconix common shares with a value of $262,500 and a number of performance stock units equal to the number of Iconix common shares with the same value.
One-third of the RSUs are vested on the date of grant, with the remaining two-thirds of the RSUs to vest on Feb. 11, 2020, subject to Mr. McClain’s continued employment with Iconix through the vesting date ad with stipulations for a change in control at the company.
Iconix Brand Group owns, licenses and markets a portfolio of consumer brands that include Candie’s, Bongo, Joe Boxer, Rampage, Mudd, Mossimo, London Fog, Ocean Pacific, Danskin, Rocawear, Cannon, Royal Velvet, Fieldcrest, Starter, Lee Cooper, Ecko Untld. and Marc Ecko.
Technology
Lectra
Lectra appointed Gianluca Croci as managing director of Lectra France. Based in Paris, Croci reports to Fabio Canali, president of Southern Europe and North Africa for Lectra.
Croci has more than 20 years of experience in the fashion industry. He began his career in 1998 in the department store chain La Rinascente before joining the Giorgio Armani group in 2002, where he managed, from 2006 to 2015, the Belgian and French subsidiaries. Croci later held management positions for major fashion and luxury brands, such as Roberto Cavalli and Marcolin, and was recently the sales and marketing director for Technogym France, a designer of sports equipment.
With Lectra, Croci will help client companies in France facilitate the digitalization of their know-how to empower them to make a successful transition to Industry 4.0. This ambition is being realized by the 2018 launch of Fashion On Demand by Lectra, which enables fashion companies to customize a garment or make it to measure.
Jesta I.S.
Jesta I.S. Inc., a specialist in integrated ERP solutions for wholesale and omnichannel retail, appointed Arvind Gupta, previously chief operating officer, as president of the company.
In his 18 years with the company, Gupta has also served as executive vice president of development and client strategy, vice president of development, and director of professional services.
About Jesta I.S.: With more than 50 years in the business, Jesta I.S. is a global supplier of integrated software solutions for retailers, wholesalers and brand manufacturers specializing in apparel, footwear, housewares and electronics. Customers include Perry Ellis International, Puma, Harry Rosen, Genesco, Guess, Town Shoes, Peter Harris Clothes, Cole Haan, DSW, Carter’s and Stokes.