Industry Moves: The Latest Executive Changes at Sneakersnstuff, Furla, Chanel + More
Who’s in, who’s out, who’s been promoted and hired — FN covers all the industry changes in one place. Know of an executive on the move? Tell us web@footwearnews.com.
Jan. 26, 2021: Erik Fagerlind, co-founder of international sneaker boutique Sneakersnstuff — commonly referred to as SNS — is stepping down from his role as CEO. Fagerlind, however, will remain with the company he established in 1999 as creative director.
“Now is the perfect time. The company has grown quite aggressively for the past eight to nine years — it’s been quite a journey. I think with all the turmoil that came with 2020, many brands sped up the evolution and led everyone to their 2023 ambitions,” Fagerlind told FN. “This is where we were going with this eventually, for me to focus on the creative side of things.”
The recruitment process for a new CEO is underway.
Since 2019, Fagerlind — alongside co-founder Peter Jansson — has opened doors in New York, Berlin, Stockholm, London, Paris, Los Angeles and Tokyo.
Jan. 26, 2021: Furla has appointed a new CEO. According to an exclusive from FN’s sister publication WWD, Mauro Sabatini is succeeding Alberto Camerlengo, who has been named executive president of the board. For more than 18 years, Sabatini served as CEO of leather goods manufacturer Effeuno — a supplier and longtime partner of the luxury brand. He also previously worked as VP of sourcing at Furla from 2011 until 2013.
Jan. 19, 2021: Chanel has named a new global head of sustainability and president of Fondation Chanel, an organization aimed at improving the economic and social conditions of women and adolescent girls around the world. Kate Wylie, who joins the brand from food manufacturer Mars, will be tasked with developing Chanel’s sustainability strategy and spearheading the nonprofit’s work. She succeeds Andrea d’Avack, who retires in June, and will report directly to CEO Alain Wertheimer.
Jan. 15, 2021: Marc Lore is departing Walmart Inc. According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the executive has sent notice of his intention to retire from the role of EVP, president and CEO of the Bentonville, Ark.-based company’s U.S. e-commerce business. He will exit his post at the end of the month but continue to serve as a strategic advisor through September.
Jan. 13, 2021: Urban Outfitters Inc. announced the appointment of Sheila Harrington to the top post at Urban Outfitters. She will enter the role, as well as hold onto her position as CEO of Free People, when current Urban Outfitters CEO Trish Donnelly departs at the end of the month to pursue a new career opportunity. What’s more, Gabrielle Conforti, who serves as chief merchandising officer at Urban Outfitters, was promoted to president of Urban Outfitters North America, while Emma Wisden will continue as managing director of Urban Outfitters Europe and lead the brand’s wholesale business. Both Conforti and Wisden will report to Harrington.
Jan. 12, 2021: Moda Operandi has named Jim Gold as its interim CEO. The new chief executive — previously president and chief merchandising officer at Neiman Marcus Group — succeeds Ganesh Srivats, who exited to pursue another opportunity. Gold joined Neiman Marcus Stores in 1991 and rose to the post of VP of Neiman Marcus Last Call in 1997. A few years later, he was promoted to VP and divisional merchandise manager of women’s designer sportswear then SVP and general merchandise manager of men’s, cosmetics and fragrances. He was named president and CEO of Bergdorf Goodman in 2004 and became president and chief merchant for the Neiman Marcus Group a decade ago.
Jan. 11, 2021: Happy Socks has promoted Emil Viklund to the role of CEO. He took over the post on Jan. 1, succeeding Steven Gardener, who led the company starting September 2019 and will remain as an advisor until March. In a statement, board chairman Christian Beck said, “In his work as a CFO, [Viklund] has proven that he will bring a great mix of leadership, operational experience and passion for innovation to the role.” Viklund, who has held the CFO post since December 2019, will continue to oversee the financial department until Happy Socks appoints a new finance chief.
Jan. 11, 2021: Lululemon is adding another Nike exec to its top ranks. Blanca Gonzalez will join the fitness company on Feb. 1 as its head merchant, SVP, global merchandising. Gonzalez, who has been at Nike for almost 20 years, will lead global merchandising strategy for Lululemon. Gonzalez was most recently VP and GM of Nike North America’s Los Angeles/West territory, where she led the Nike and Jordan brand’s key city vision. She helped oversee the opening of the Swoosh’s digital-centric Long Beach location following the success of a Nike Live store on LA’s Melrose avenue. In her new role at Luluemon, Gonzalez will serve in the role Sun Choe previously held prior to assuming the position of chief product officer.
Jan. 11, 2021: Columbia Sportswear Co. has appointed Tim Sheerin as the SVP of U.S. sales for the Columbia brand. He will report to EVP of global omnichannel Franco Fogliato. Prior in joining Columbia, Sheerin spent 20 years at Nike in various sales and strategy leadership positions, most recently serving as its VP of North America sales.
Jan. 11, 2021: Balmain has named Matthieu Petri as its chief commercial officer. In his new role, he is expected to lead the fashion house’s commercial strategy, reporting directly to CEO Jean-Jacques Guével. He joins the fashion house from jeweler Chaumet, where he served as retail director of its European business. Before that, he worked in strategy and project management at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
Jan. 8, 2021: Calvin Klein has appointed Jamaal Layne as EVP of Global Brand and North America Marketing, effective Jan. 11. Most recently, he served as head of entertainment marketing at Sonos, where he established the company’s celebrity and influencer marketing initiatives and oversaw partnerships with licensee and streaming partners. Prior to Sonos, he held key marketing positions at Adidas, Converse, Nike and Microsoft, as well as consulted for brands like Carhartt, Stussy and Forever 21. At Calvin Klein, Jamaal will report to CMO Linh Peters.
Jan 8, 2021: Native Shoes has elevated Kyle Houseman to the position of CEO, effective immediately. He previously served as president of the Vancouver, British Columbia-based brand. Houseman succeeds former CEO Scott Hawthorne, who is now stepping into the role of executive chairman. Prior to joining Native Shoes, Houseman was an executive with Lululemon, where he helped grow its e-commerce channel from $50 million to over $260 million.
Jan 5, 2021: Wolverine World Wide has named Jim Zwiers — a 23-year company veteran — as president of its global operations group, succeeding Mike Jeppesen, who is set to retire. Zwiers will concurrently serve as president of its international group, a position he has held since 2014, and will remain both an EVP and member of its executive leadership team. Meanwhile, Wolverine also announced the appointment of Matt Blonder as president of global e-commerce. Blonder joins Wolverine from Reebok, where he most recently served as its global head of digital.
Jan. 5, 2021: Macy’s Inc. has promoted Nata Dvir to the role of chief merchandising officer of the Macy’s brand, starting Feb. 1. She currently serves as the department store’s SVP and general business manager for beauty and center core merchandise and replaces Patti Ongman, who previously revealed plans to retire at the end of the 2020 fiscal year. In her new role, Dvir will have oversight of all merchandising categories and private brands within Macy’s. She will report to chairman and CEO Jeff Gennette.
Jan. 5, 2021: Sandro and Maje parent SMCP Group has named Patricia Huyghues Despointes as CFO. She joins from LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, where she spent more than 15 years and was most recently the administrative and financial director of Givenchy. She also led the financial controlling team at the group’s fashion and leather goods branch, overseeing about 15 brands. Along with her role, Despointes also becomes a member of the SMCP executive committee.
Jan. 4, 2021: J.M. Weston has appointed a new president. According to an exclusive from FN’s sister publication WWD, Marc Durie succeeds Thierry Oriez, who departed the luxury shoemaker to pursue new projects. He reports to Valérie Hermann, president of the fashion and luxury division of private investment firm EPI, which includes J.M. Weston and Bonpoint. Durie had served as the global head of the men’s shoe division and CRM department at Christian Louboutin since September 2016. He began his career at Louis Vuitton, where he was a product manager for men’s shoes. He held the post of VP of merchandising, Asia-Pacific, at the French fashion house from 2011 to 2013 then was president of J. Mendel from 2013 to 2016.
Big Executive Moves Last Month
Dec. 17, 2020: MatchesFashion has promoted Natalie Kingham to the newly created role of global fashion officer. The executive has spent a decade at the London-based global luxury retailer, where she served as international womenswear buyer as well as fashion and buying director. In the post, Kingham is expected to “define and lead the fashion point of view” for the company to better engage with its global customer base. She will report to Elizabeth von der Goltz, who was named chief commercial officer last month.
Dec. 9, 2020: The Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America has added eight new industry executives to its board of directors as part of its “effort to reinvigorate” the Fashion Footwear Association of New York. The members who were approved at its virtual board meeting include: Converse global footwear VP Brandis Russell; Jimmy Choo president Tanya Golesic; Marc Fisher Footwear president Susan Itzkowitz; Target director of global sourcing Keli Lerdal; Nordstrom EVP and GMM of shoes Tacey Powers; Pentland North America president Carrie Rubin; White Mountain chief revenue officer Robert Geller; and Jones & Vining president and CEO Jim Salzano. “These new board members will enhance our mission in support of our efforts to remake market weeks and work more closely together across categories and channels, reinvigorating the industry in 2021 and beyond,” said FDRA chairman Mike Jeppesen, who is the president of global operations at Wolverine Worldwide.
Dec. 3, 2020: According to multiple reports, Todd Spaletto, most recently the president of Wolverine World Wide Inc.’s Michigan Group, will become the president of Public Lands, the new outdoor retail store format of Dick’s Sporting Goods that is set to launch in 2021. The executive’s LinkedIn now includes the president of Public Lands role as well as SVP of Dick’s Sporting Goods. In April, he and Wolverine mutually agreed that he would resign, effective on or before May 30. An SEC filing on April 17 stated Spaletto’s departure “is not based on any disagreement with the company relating to its operations, policies or practices.” Prior to Wolverine, Spaletto held several roles at The North Face over a 14-year period, ending his tenure at the company as its global president in 2017.