Industry Moves: March 2020
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March 30, 2020: Hibbett Sports has announced the appointment of Robert J. Volke as its new finance chief. He will start at the company on April 13 in the position of SVP of accounting and finance, then move into the role of CFO following the filing of Hibbett’s annual report for the fiscal year. Volke replaces Scott Humphrey, who has served as interim CFO since September and will assist in the transition. Prior to Hibbett, Volke worked as interim CFO at Fleet Farm, where he previously held the role of VP of accounting and corporate controller.
March 30, 2020: Ted Baker acting CEO Rachel Osbourne has been appointed to the role permanently, the brand announced today. Osbourne arrived at Ted Baker as chief financial officer in November 2019 and was appointed as interim chief in December 2019. Prior to joining the Ted Baker team, Osbourne worked in various roles at Debenhams, Domino’s and John Lewis.
March 25, 2020: Under Armour chief product officer Kevin Eskridge will be leaving the company on Aug. 15, the company reported to the SEC on Tuesday. This is the latest in a series of executive departures at the Baltimore-based athletic brand. “During Kevin’s more than 10-year tenure at Under Armour, we’ve transformed from a small U.S. company into a multibillion-dollar global athletic performance brand, and his impact on our business has been significant,” said Under Armour president and CEO Patrik Frisk in a statement. “As we continue to execute against our long-term strategy, we are incredibly proud of the entire product organization and extremely confident in our ability to continue our evolution toward best practices and delivering performance solutions you never knew you needed and can’t imagine living without.”
March 24, 2020: RTW Retailwinds has announced the promotion of president and chief marketing and customer officer Traci Inglis, who will take on the post of CEO starting April 17. She replaces Gregory Scott, who directed the company’s strategy for nearly a decade and decided to move to California for personal reasons. Inglis, whose previous experience includes the role of president of global fashion brands at TechStyle Fashion Group, will also join the board of directors. “While we are sad to see Greg leave, we believe that Traci is the perfect choice to direct and execute the vision for the company as we work with a heightened sense of urgency to accelerate the company’s digital and customer-first marketing initiatives to position RTW for long-term success,” nonexecutive chair of the board Grace Nichols said in a statement.
March 23, 2020: Hugo Boss CEO Mark Langer will exit his post at the end of September. Langer has been in the CEO spot since 2016 and has worked in various roles at the company for nearly two decades. After September, he will continue to work with Hugo Boss as a consultant. No successor has been named yet.
March 13, 2020: Johnny Coca is leaving Mulberry after five years as creative director. This will take effect at the end of March 2020. During his tenure, he developed the brand’s luxury lifestyle vision, introducing sneakers and launching eyewear, bringing in new bag families such as the Amberley and Iris, and relaunching men’s accessories and jewellery ranges. Coca’s last collection for the brand will be Spring Summer 2021, and Mulberry has begun the process of finding a successor.
March 13, 2020: Old Navy’s finance chief has been promoted to the role of CFO of parent company Gap Inc. Effective March 23, Katrina O’Connell will replace Teri List-Stoll, who has served in the post for more than three years. Old Navy, which is searching for a new president and executive chief, will be led by Nancy Green, currently the brand’s president and chief creative officer.
March 13, 2020: Hibbett Sports Inc. has announced the departure of 32-year company veteran Cathy Pryor as SVP of operations. Benjamin Knighten has stepped into the role. In a statement, President and CEO Mike Longo thanked Pryor for her decades of service and added that Knighten is a “proven leader in multiple companies and multiple industries.”
March 9, 2020: Givenchy has confirmed with FN’s sister publication WWD that Renaud de Lesquen is the fashion house’s new CEO and president. Currently president and CEO of Dior Americas, de Lesquen will join Givenchy on April 1. Prior to Dior Americas, he served as president of Dior China. He also spent a decade at L’Oréal in Paris, was president and CEO of YSL Beauté, and was global president of Giorgio Armani Beauty.
March 5, 2020: Gap Inc. has announced the appointment of Old Navy executive chief Sonia Syngal to the post of CEO, effective March 23. She will also join the company’s board of directors. Syngal, who served at the helm at Old Navy since 2016, will be supported by board member Bobby Martin, who has been named executive chairman. As CEO, Syngal will be tasked with strengthening the performance of Gap’s portfolio, which includes its eponymous flagship brand as well as Old Navy, Banana Republic, Athleta, Intermix, Janie and Jack and Hill City brands.
March 5, 2020: The American Apparel and Footwear Association has announced a leadership transition in its board of directors, as well as the addition of 18 new and reelected board members. Wrapping up its 2020 Executive Summit, the trade group confirmed that Gary Simmons, director of Intradeco Apparel, has stepped down from his role as chairman of the board after one year. It appointed Under Armour COO Colin Browne as chairman of the board; PVH Corp. EVP of PVH Supply North America Sarah Clarke as vice chairman; Lululemon chief supply chain officer Ted Dagnese as secretary; and Nimbly CEO Kurt Cavano as treasurer. The AAFA also elected and reelected, among other names, David Edelman of Kenneth Cole Productions; Tami Fersko of Li & Fung; Alan Luchette of Marc Fisher Footwear; and Christopher Volpe of United Legwear and Apparel.
March 5, 2020: Sarah Flint has tapped a new executive chief. Mary Beech, who previously served as EVP and CMO at Kate Spade, has joined the designer label as its CEO. She will report directly to founder, executive chairman and creative director Sarah Flint. Prior to Kate Spade, Beech was the SVP of global licensing and marketing for Disney and Pixar Animation at The Walt Disney Company.
March 4, 2020: Yoox Net-a-Porter has put a succession plan in place. As first reported by WWD, CEO and Chairman Federico Marchetti has decided to exit his chief post when a successor is found; he will retain his role as chairman to ease the transition. Marchetti founded Yoox in 2000. He went public with the e-commerce giant in 2009, and the company had its first IPO in Italy 18 months later. In 2015, Marchetti oversaw the merger of Net-a-Porter and Yoox. YNAP employs nearly 5,500 people across the globe.
March 3, 2020: Nordstrom has shuffled around its leadership. The retailer has promoted Erik Nordstrom to the role of CEO, and Pete Nordstrom will move into the roles of president and chief brand officer. The brothers were previously dual CEOs of the company. “These titles help clarify our respective roles, as we strive to maximize our impact both as individual leaders and as a team. Pete and I continue to be partners in ensuring Nordstrom’s success, and we are both focused on executing our long-term plan,” Erik Nordstrom said in a statement.
March 3, 2020: As it goes private, Hudson’s Bay Co. is making a change at the top spot. The company today announced the departure of CEO Helena Foulkes, and Executive Chairman Richard Baker will take the helm as CEO. Foulkes had served in the chief post since February 2018; her exit is effective March 13.
March 2, 2020: JD.com has announced the retirement of CFO Sidney Huang in September; after retirement, he will serve as a senior consultant to the company. Sandy Xu, SVP of JD.com and CFO of JD Retail, has been named his successor and will report to Chairman and CEO Richard Liu. Prior to joining JD.com, Xu served as an audit partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, with nearly two decades of experience at the professional services label’s Beijing and San Jose offices.
March 2, 2020: Printemps CEO Paolo de Cesare has exited the Paris-based department store chain. In a statement, the company wrote that the decision “stems from difficulties in recent years in the retail business” as well as the need for “new leadership in order to accelerate and realize Printemps’ development plan.” De Cesare joined Printemps in 2007, and the company is currently searching for his replacement.
March 2, 2020: Target has appointed Heath Holtz as SVP, field operations. In his role, Holtz will oversee the company’s supply chain and logistics field network to support the approximately 1,800 Target stores. Holtz came to the Minneapolis-based retailer from Nissan Motor Corporation, where he had worked for 14 years. He began on March 1, reporting to Arthur Valdez, Target EVP and chief supply chain and logistics officer.
March 1, 2020: Walmart has appointed Jamie Iannone as chief operating officer for U.S. e-commerce. Iannone, who has worked for Sam’s Club for six years, had previously been CEO of Samsclub.com and EVP of membership and technology. In his new role, he will report to Marc Lore, Jet.com’s founder and Walmart U.S. e-commerce CEO, as well as to John Furner, Walmart U.S. CEO.
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