Industry Moves: Walmart Taps Sam’s Club Exec for Key E-Comm Role + More
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.
Below, see notable exec moves from February:
Feb. 27, 2020: Leslie Gallin, president of footwear at Informa, is exiting the company after a decade at the helm of the FN Platform trade show in Las Vegas. The move comes three weeks after Informa said it was debuting Micam Americas in August alongside Magic and Project. The new show will succeed FN Platform. Informa said employees Kelly Helfman and Belinda Pina would now oversee the management of Micam Americas. The company declined to comment further. FN has reached out to Gallin for comment.
Feb. 27, 2020: Pierre Denis is stepping down as CEO of Capri Holdings-owned Jimmy Choo after eight years on the job. John Idol, chairman and CEO of Capri Holdings, said the company wishes Denis well “as he moves on to his next role,” although it remains unclear where the executive is headed. Idol added that a search for a new CEO is underway.
Feb. 26, 2020: StockX has added a new member to its executive team. The company announced the appointment of Vishnu Patankar as its chief technology officer. Prior to assuming the role, Patankar held a similar position at Groupon and held several roles at Amazon over a decade. His career also includes engineering roles at Microsoft and Intel.
Feb. 26, 2020: Ugg, Teva and Sanuk parent Deckers Brands has added Juan R. Figuereo to its board of directors, effective March 1. Figuereo has held executive posts at several companies including Revlon Inc., Newell Brands Inc. and NII Holdings, Inc. He is currently a venture partner at Oceans Azul Partners as well as director and chair of PVH Corp.’s audit committee.
Feb. 26, 2020: After being acquired by a group of private investors, Foot Solutions Inc. has appointed a new CEO, John Prothro. The previous owner and CEO, Ray Margiano, is transitioning into a special adviser role. In addition to the change at the top spot, Foot Solutions announced the appointment of Bryan Scott as VP of strategic growth. The NFL veteran will aim to improve business operations through strategic partnerships.
Feb. 26, 2020: Shawn Gensch has resigned from his position as EVP and chief customer officer of JCPenney after just nine months in the post, the retailer confirmed to FN today. In his role, Gensch oversaw all of the company’s marketing strategies and initiatives, reporting directly to CEO Jill Soltau. The executive has more than 25 years experience in marketing and finance and most recently held the chief customer officer post at Sprouts Farmers’ Market.
Feb. 25, 2020: Authentic Brands Group has named Daniel Kulle the new CEO of Forever 21, which it acquired last week along with mall owners Simon Property Group and Brookfield Property Partners. The new chief previously served two decades at rival fast-fashion giant H&M, most recently as strategic adviser to former CEO Karl-Johan Persson and former president of H&M North America. In his new role, Kulle is tasked with using his digital expertise to enhance Forever 21’s content and social media strategies. He will also helm the retailer’s sustainability initiatives — a key tentpole as it enters its next chapter under new ownership.
Feb 25, 2020: Mitch Whitaker, VP and GM for VF Corp.-owned Vans Americas has been appointed to the newly created post of VP and managing director, VF Japan. David Tichiaz, VP of merchandising and wholesale for the Vans Americas region, will now serve as GM of the region.
Feb. 24, 2020: Farfetch has promoted Alvina Patel to the newly created post of VP of commercial and brand marketing, North America. Since joining the e-tailer in 2016, Patel served as VP of brand marketing; she previously was vice president of communications at Christian Louboutin and has worked at luxury labels including Hermès, Harry Winston and Bvlgari. In addition to continuing to lead advertising and communications for Farfetch in North America, Patel takes on the new responsibilities of directing account management and brand partnerships in the region. Patel will continue to report to Jeffery Fowler, president, Americas, at Farfetch.
Feb. 24, 2020: The American Apparel and Footwear Association has named Beth Hughes as VP of trade and customs policy as well as Megan Balkovic as director of membership experience and industry engagement. Both positions are newly created and expand on the organization’s policy and membership divisions. “When I took on the role of president and CEO earlier this year, I tasked the AAFA team with enhancing member value in everything we do, each and every day,” said new chief Steve Lamar. “With Beth and Megan joining the team, we are providing AAFA members with a subject matter expert in a strategic policy area at a critical juncture for the industry and an individual with a broad knowledge of the industry and a deep understanding of what our members need.” Hughes joins the AAFA from the International Dairy Foods Association, while Balkovic returns to the organization from MHB Services. Balkovic previously served as the AAFA’s sponsor development manager.
Feb. 19, 2020: Wolverine World Wide Inc. today announced the appointments of Joelle Grunberg as global president of Sperry and Tom Kennedy as global president of the Wolverine brand. Grunberg joins Wolverine Worldwide from Lacoste, where she served as president and CEO of North and Central America. Kennedy has spent the last three years in Boston leading Sperry and will return to Michigan for his new role with the Wolverine brand. In addition to overseeing the company’s licensing group, Kennedy will become a member of the firm’s acquisitions team. He joined Wolverine Worldwide in 2015 as president of apparel and accessories.
Feb. 19, 2020: Designer Brands Inc. has named William Jordan as its chief growth officer. He had served as president of DSW since February 2019 and held a variety of positions at the company over the past 14 years, including chief administrative officer, EVP and chief legal officer of DSW. As part of the transition, Designer Brands CEO Roger Rawlins will also serve as interim president of DSW. The company is currently searching for a permanent successor.
Feb. 19, 2020: Nike Inc. announced several senior leadership changes today. Heidi O’Neill, the current president of Nike Direct, will assume the role of president of consumer and marketplace, and EVP and CFO Andy Campion will become the COO. Both moves will become effective April 1. O’Neill will take over for Elliott Hill, and Campion will replace Eric Sprunk, who are both retiring from Nike. Also, Matthew Friend will become the CFO of Nike Inc. He is the current CFO of operating segments and VP of investor relations.
Feb. 18, 2020: Francesca’s has appointed Andrew Clarke as its president and CEO. The new chief, who replaces interim CEO Michael Prendergast, joins the apparel and accessories purveyor from Ascena, where he served as president of the Loft brand. He also previously held the role of merchandising chief at Ascena’s Justice brand, contributing to his 25 years of experience in the retail industry. Clarke will take the post on March 9, when he will also become a member of Francesca’s board.
Feb. 13, 2020: Rent the Runway has a new chief supply chain officer. Brian Donato, who joins the company on March 16 and will report directly to co-founder and CEO Jennifer Hyman, is tasked with overseeing the firm’s customer fulfillment operations, including inventory restoration and warehousing. His appointment comes five months after a shipping crisis led to customer complaints about unfulfilled or delayed orders and the subsequent departure of former supply chain chief Marv Cunningham at the end of September.
Feb. 13, 2020: The Adidas AG supervisory board announced today that it intends to elect Thomas Rabe, 54, as supervisory board chairman after the annual general meeting on May 14 in Fuerth, Bavaria. Rabe will succeed Igor Landau, 75, whose term of office will end at the close of May’s annual general meeting. Rabe, the chairman and CEO of Germany-based media company Bertelsmann, became a member of Adidas’ supervisory board on May 9, 2019. Landau has been a member of the supervisory board since 2004 and its chairman since 2009.
Feb. 11, 2020: Earth Inc. has named two executives to its team. Mark Parsley has been appointed EVP of sales, and Alain Gervais has assumed the role of EVP of supply chain and operations. Prior to joining the company, Parsley held executive positions at Marc Fisher Footwear and Timberland, in addition to sales positions at Timberland and Bostonian. Gervais, who currently serves as CEO of Al Gervais Consulting, was COO at Marc Fisher Footwear, and VP of sourcing, financial planning and international retail operations at Nine West Group.
Feb. 11, 2020: Paige Thomas has been named president of Saks Off 5th, reporting directly to Helena Foulkes, CEO of parent Hudson’s Bay Co. Thomas most recently served as EVP and GMM of the full-price men’s and kids’ departments at Nordstrom. Before that, she held the role of EVP and GMM of off-price at Nordstrom for more than five years as well as working in merchandising posts at Kohl’s and Fred Meyer.
Feb. 11, 2020: Miu Miu has a new CEO. Benedetta Petruzzo has stepped into the post, which had remained vacant since last summer after the exit of Maria Cristina Lomanto. Petruzzo was formerly EVP of Kering Eyewear and previously worked for consultancy firm Bain & Co.
Feb. 11, 2020: Ajay Kavan has succeeded Ulric Jerome as CEO of MatchesFashion. Kavan was previously vice president, international special projects at Amazon. He will officially join March 16. Jerome exited MatchesFashion in 2019. At Amazon, Kavan worked on projects including Amazon Prime Now and Amazon Fresh which he launched in the European Union and Japan.
Feb. 10, 2020: Allbirds has appointed Old Navy president and chief creative officer Nancy Green to its board of directors. She previously spent six years as president and CEO of Athleta, where she helped implement key sustainable practices, following a stint as Old Navy’s interim co-president and chief creative officer between 2010 and 2012. She also led the Pottery Barn division of Williams-Sonoma for four years and currently serves on the Gap Foundation Board of Trustees and the Gap Inc. Sustainability Board.
Feb. 6, 2020: Seven months after Neal Newman exited his post, Two Ten Footwear Foundation has announced a replacement to fill the role of president and CEO. The nonprofit announced today that Shawn Osborne has been appointed to the position, effective Feb. 17. Newman departed the organization in early July, after eight years as president, leaving David DiPasquale in the interim position. DiPasquale had been an active Two Ten board member for three decades and also previously chaired the organization’s board of directors.
Feb. 6, 2019: Saskia van Gendt has joined Rothy’s to fill the newly created role of head of sustainability. She previously spent seven-plus years leading Method, a global maker of sustainable home cleaning products. At Rothy’s, the wildly popular sustainable direct-to-consumer shoe brand launched in San Francisco in 2016, van Gendt will be in charge of sustainable innovation and strategies to minimize the impact of Rothy’s supply chain.
Feb. 6, 2020: Tapestry has made three major executive hires: Liz Fraser was named CEO and brand president of Kate Spade, working alongside creative director Nicola Glass. Giorgio Sarné, currently president of Tapestry Asia as well as president and CEO of Coach Asia, will be promoted to CEO and brand president of Stuart Weitzman. He succeeds Eraldo Poletto, who leaves the firm in March. Yann Bozec, who is president of Tapestry China and president and CEO of Coach China, will also be promoted to president of Tapestry Asia Pacific, while continuing in his role at Coach China. All three execs will join Tapestry’s executive committee.
Feb. 6, 2020: Caleres has announced John McPhee‘s appointment as president of Sam Edelman. The exec joins the firm from Herman Miller Retail, where he had served as president and COO since 2010. As part of his new role, McPhee will partner with founder Sam Edelman, focusing on the areas of finance, inventory management and retail operations.
Feb. 5, 2020: Under Armour has announced the appointment of Colin Browne as chief operating officer, succeeding current President and CEO Patrik Frisk. As COO, Brown will be tasked with overseeing the company’s supply chain and sourcing operations as well as distribution, information technology, asset protection, sustainability and more. He has served as the chief supply chain officer since 2017. Separately, Paul Fipps has been named to the newly created post of chief experience officer, with responsibilities that include the firm’s overall consumer experience and digital strategy. Fipps’ previous role was as chief digital officer, starting in 2018. Effective Feb. 17, both Browne and Fipps will report directly to Frisk.
Feb. 4, 2020: Macy’s has announced a few changes to its senior management team. John Harper, who formerly served as chief stores officer, has assumed the role of chief operations officer. Reporting to Harper is Marc Mastronardi, who was most recently SVP of store operations and customer experience and is now chief stores officer. Danielle Kirgan, chief human resources officer, is also taking on an expanded post as chief transformation and HR officer.
Feb. 3, 2020: Nicolas Dreyfus has been named CEO of Frame. According to FN sister publication WWD, the fashion exec — formerly global CEO of The Kooples — is taking the helm at the Los Angeles-based company on March 1. He will report to creative directors Jens Grede and Erik Torstensson, who founded the brand in 2012.
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Industry Moves: January 2020
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