Industry Moves: Shoe Carnival Names New CFO + More News
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 at [email protected].
March 16, 2023: Shoe Carnival has named Erik Gast as the company’s EVP, chief financial officer, effective April 24. He joins the footwear retailer from Fleet Farm Group, where he served as EVP and CFO since 2020. Prior to that, he held roles at Great Wolf Resorts, Pilot Travel Centers, Family Dollar and Ace Hardware. At Shoe Carnival, he succeeds W. Kerry Jackson who is retiring.
March 9, 2023: JD Sports Fashion Plc has announced Ian Dyson will be appointed as a non-executive director to its board of directors. The appointment will take effect today. Dyson will join the retailer’s Audit and Risk Committee and the Remuneration Committee. “I am delighted to welcome Ian to the JD Board. He brings a wealth of relevant experience and insight to our deliberations. The appointment of Ian is further progress towards strengthening the board’s broader PLC experience base,” board chair Andrew Higginson said in a statement. Currently, Dyson is the chair of the board at consumer electronics company Currys Plc, and in the past was the senior independent director at ASOS Plc, a senior independent director at Flutter Entertainment Plc and a non-executive director of Intercontinental Hotels Group Plc and SSP Group Plc.
March 8, 2023: PVH Corp. has named Amber (McCasland) McCann as EVP and chief communications officer, effective April 6. In her new role, McCann will lead all aspects of PVH’s global internal and external communications strategy and report to Stefan Larsson, CEO of PVH Corp. McCann most recently as VP of global brand and communications at Poshmark, where she guided the company’s global communications strategy through its IPO in 2021 and acquisition by Naver Corp. in 2023. Previously she spent 10 years in senior communications roles at Levi Strauss & Co. and has also held positions at Gap, Inc. and Yahoo! earlier in her career. “Amber has an impressive track record as an innovative brand and corporate communications leader with international experience at the intersection of fashion, consumer, and technology,” said Larsson in a statement. “As we continue to execute the PVH+ Plan and move our Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger brands closer to the consumer than ever before, Amber’s expertise working with iconic brands on a global scale will help bring our vision to life for all stakeholders.”
March 7, 2023: Roots has tapped Joey Gollish as a creative director in residence for a period expected to extend through 2025. This appointment represents the first time in Roots almost 50-year history that it has welcomed an outside creative to the brand. During his tenure, Gollish will work with Karuna Scheinfeld, chief product officer, who leads the creative and design teams. Gollish, the founder and creative director of the fashion label Mr. Saturday, will continue to helm its design and creative direction during this period. “As we embark on our 50th year, we understand the importance of staying innovative and forward-looking in today’s ever-changing market,” Roots president and CEO Meghan Roach said in a statement. “Through our collaboration with Mr. Saturday in December 2022, we found that Joey had a deep love for the Roots brand and a unique perspective that will support our long-term objective of increasing the brand’s global appeal. We look forward to the exciting opportunities this additional creative influence will bring to Roots.”
March 6, 2023: Express, Inc. has announced the retirement of its president and chief operating officer Matthew Moellering, effective May 5. The company said on Friday that it has retained executive search and leadership advisory firm Spencer Stuart to conduct an external search for Moellering’s replacement. Moellering has been with Express since 2003 and was appointed to his current position in September 2019. He served as interim CFO from October 2021 to March 2022 and interim CEO and president from January – June 2019; was appointed as COO in 2011 and previously served as CAO & CFO from 2009 to 2011, and CFO from 2007 to 2009. Prior to joining the company, he held leadership roles at Procter & Gamble from 1995 to 2003. “Matt has been an invaluable thought partner to me over the last three years, offering the full breadth of his experience and perspective, and I appreciate his conviction for our corporate strategy and his commitment to ensuring a smooth transition for his successor,” said CEO Tim Baxter.
Feb. 23, 2023: Kiton’s CEO Antonio De Matteis has been named Pitti Immagine’s new president. He succeeds Claudio Marenzi, Herno’s president and CEO, who held the role since 2017. “I want to thank the president who preceded me and outgoing members of the board for the great achievements over the past years that contributed to Pitti Immagine’s strength, wide-ranging offer and competitiveness,” De Matteis said. “It’s an honor to be named president of such an important event globally and with support from the new board I’m committed to continue along the same trajectory.” The board confirmed Antonella Mani as VP and members Raffaello Napoleone, current CEO of Pitti Immagine, and Niccolò Ricci. The trade show operator is best known for leading menswear trade fair Pitti Uomo, in addition to Pitti Filati, Pitti Bimbo and Pitti Fragranze dedicated to yarnmakers, childrenswear and fragrances, respectively. It also operates Taste centered on food, Testo on books, and Super on contemporary fashion.
Feb. 23, 2023: Farfetch Limited announced on Thursday that Elliot Jordan will step down by the end of the year, after more than eight years as CFO. The company said in a statement that Jordan has agreed to serve as CFO through the end of 2023 while the company initiates a search to identify his successor. Since joining the company in 2015, Jordan has helped Farfetch grown its annual GMV from $380 million to $4.1 billion between 2015 and 2022. He has also helped guide Farfetch through its transformation from a private company to a publicly traded company, including its listing on the New York Stock Exchange in Sep. 2018. “We are some way off from saying our ‘goodbyes’ but his legacy will be formidable finance and business services teams that are part of a company that we believe is extremely well placed to continue to lead the industry and drive profitable growth – and Elliot has been an important building block of our
Jan. 31, 2023: Under Armour has appointed Carolyn Everson and Patrick Whitesell to its board of directors, effective Feb. 1. The company also announced that board member Harvey Sanders will retire from his role on March 31. Everson currently serves as a senior advisor for private equity firm Permira and previously served as president of Instacart. Whitesell has served as the executive chairman of Endeavor Group Holdings since October 2017 and is also on the board of Learfield.
Jan. 25, 2023: PVH Corp. has named Donald Kohler as president of Calvin Klein Americas, effective March 13. He previously led the Americas region for brands such as Burberry, Salvatore Ferragamo and Diesel. He will report to Stefan Larsson, CEO of PVH Corp. “As we continue to build the right team to execute our PVH+ Plan, I am excited to have a strong operator like Donald join PVH to lead our Calvin Klein business in the Americas,” Larsson said.
Jan. 24, 2023: The Athlete’s Foot has announced two two key executive promotions. Darius Billings, a 15-year employee of The Athlete’s Foot, has been elevated to VP of marketing: community engagement and StAART, and Cassidy Dansberry has been promoted to marketing manager. Both promotions are effective immediately. Billings will report to Matthew Lafone, president and GM of Americas at The Athlete’s Foot, and Dansberry will report to Billings. What’s more, The Athlete’s Foot announced it has added two new positions to its marketing team: social media coordinator and marketing coordinator.
Jan. 20, 2023: Vince Holding Corp. announced that David Stefko has decided to retire as CFO, effective Feb. 10, though he will stay on in an advisory role until May to help smooth the transition for his successor, Amy Levy, currently SVP of financial planning & analysis and investor relations. Levy joined the Vince organization in 2016 and in her latest role oversaw multiple functions, including treasury, FP&A, investor relations and all facets of retail, wholesale and corporate planning. She is a veteran of the fashion industry, having previously served as a member of the finance team at Michael Kors and Esprit.
Jan. 19, 2023: Levi Strauss & Co. has named Jason Gowans as SVP and chief digital officer, effective Feb. 6. He will oversee the company’s e-commerce and digital go-to-market strategy and will report to Michelle Gass, president of Levi. Gowans previously spent 10 years at Nordstrom, where he served in various roles across marketing, data science and digital. He was mot recently the SVP of digital commerce.
Jan. 12, 2023: Hanesbrands Inc. CFO Michael Dastugue will resign in February for “family reasons,” the company announced on Thursday. Scott Lewis, the company’s chief accounting officer and controller, will serve as interim CFO until a successor is named. “On behalf of our Board, our management team and the entire Hanesbrands family, I would like to express our sincere thanks to Michael for his leadership and significant contributions to our Company,” Hanesbrands CEO Steve Bratspies said in a statement.
Jan. 11, 2023: Canadian retailer The Bay has announced that Iain Nairn, president and CEO of The Bay will retire this month. As such, Sophia Hwang-Judiesch has been appointed president of The Bay and Hudson’s Bay, comprising both the store and digital businesses. Hwang-Judiesch was appointed president of Hudson’s Bay in September 2022, leading the Hudson’s Bay store organization, including the execution of the company’s in-store digital selling transformation, customer experience and store optimization strategy. Nairn’s retirement culminates a 46-year career in retailing. Since joining The Bay, he oversaw a digital transformation of the business, including the launch of Marketplace, which brought more than 900 new sellers to thebay.com. He also launched Hudson’s Bay Foundation Charter for Change, and significantly advanced The Bay’s Truth & Reconciliation work, meeting with communities and building relationships with Indigenous organizations.
Jan. 9, 2023: VF Corp., which owns Vans, The North Face and Timberland, has made three new appointments to its EMEA leadership team. Martino Scabbia Guerrini‘s role has been expanded to EVP, resident EMEA, APAC & emerging brands, adding the APAC region to his role. Mariano Alonso, current GM of Timberland EMEA, will become GM of The North Face EMEA. Nina Flood, currently president of VF Global Packs (Eastpak, JanSport, and Kipling), will succeed Alonso as GM of Timberland EMEA.
Jan. 9, 2023: The Sports & Fitness Industry Association announced that Clarks Inc. CEO Jonathan Ram was reelected as chairman of the SFIA board of directors for the 2023 term. Voting took place at the group’s Dec. 15 annual meeting. In addition, Adam Franklin, president of Franklin Sports, and Richard Sullivan, president & CEO of Asics North America, were newly elected to the board, and six other members were reelected, all for three-year terms. The board also includes 11 more members who are serving staggered terms.
Jan. 5, 2023: Nordstrom has appointed Atticus Tysen to its Board of Directors. He currently serves as SVP of product development, chief information security and fraud prevention officer at Intuit, where he oversees IT functions as well as cybersecurity and fraud prevention operations. “Atticus is a proven leader with decades of experience in the technology and cybersecurity space,” said Brad Tilden, chairman of the Nordstrom Board.
Jan. 5, 2023: Merrell has tapped Jessica Adler to fill its VP of U.S. sales role. In this position, Merrell said Adler will be tasked with leading the evolution of its wholesale strategy stateside. Adler will report directly to Chris Hufnagel, global brand president of Merrell, and will also join the brand’s senior leadership team. Prior to joining Merrell, Adler — whose retail career spans nearly 20 years — has held sales leadership roles over the past 10 years with lifestyle brands including Levi Strauss & Co., Psycho Bunny and Diesel USA. “Jessica is a tremendous addition to the Merrell team. She brings a collaborative leadership approach and depth of retail experience that builds strong customer partnerships and brand affinity and growth,” Hufnagel said in a statement. “Having a dynamic, accomplished leader like Jessica on our team will continue to help Merrell advance our vision for the brand and achieve our growth aspirations.”
Top Industry Moves from 2022
Dec. 14, 2022: PVH Corp. has tapped Eva Serrano as global brand president of Calvin Klein. Serrano, a seasoned Inditex group veteran, will join the company in March 2023 and report to Stefan Larsson, CEO of PVH Corp. Serrano joins PVH and Calvin Klein with 20 years of leadership experience with Zara and the Inditex group. Serrano began her career in Europe, where she was part of the international commercial development for Zara Europe before assuming the international commercial director position for Asia Pacific and playing a key role in expanding growth in the region. She most recently served as president for Inditex Greater China, where she was responsible for leading that rapidly growing market. “Eva deeply understands the disruptive forces in our industry and how to connect a brand’s core value proposition to where the consumer is going,” said Larsson in a statement. “Her experience will be critical in unlocking Calvin Klein’s full global potential, and her appointment is an important next step in our continuing execution of the PVH+ Plan, our multi-year growth plan.”
Nov. 16, 2022: The TJX Companies, Inc. has promoted John Klinger to EVP and CFO, effective Jan. 29, 2023. In his new role, Klinger will oversee corporate finance for TJX, including audit, treasury, tax, and investor relations. He will continue to report to Scott Goldenberg who has been CFO since 2012. Goldenberg will continue as SEVP of finance, with responsibility for certain other corporate functions, including global communications, risk management, new business development, and financial aspects of real estate. Klinger joined TJX in 2000 as a manager of business analysis for Marmaxx. He held various finance positions with increasing responsibility within HomeGoods and Marmaxx before being promoted to VP and divisional CFO for AJWright in 2007. In 2011, he became VP of corporate finance and was promoted to SVP and divisional CFO for TJX Europe later that year. He returned to the U.S. in 2015 to assume the role of SVP and corporate controller. In April 2019, Klinger was named EVP and corporate controller. Prior to joining TJX, Klinger was with the Stride Rite company starting in 1994. He held various finance roles, eventually becoming the director of finance in 1998.
Oct. 18, 2022: Macy’s has named longtime exec Julie Walsh as senior vice president, general business manager of Center Core and Beauty. Walsh has worked at Macy’s for more than 20 years and has held various leadership positions, including experience in fine jewelry, prestige cosmetics and most recently, serving as Macy’s vice president, divisional business manager for fragrances. In her new role, Walsh will be responsible for leading and driving the Center Core and Beauty merchandise organization which include beauty, jewelry, handbags, shoes and accessories. She will report to Macy’s chief merchandising officer Nata Dvir. “I am so excited to share Julie’s promotion. As a member of our merchant organization for over two decades, we have watched her grow in her career and excel in advancing our strategy,” Dvir said. “I am confident that her leadership, collaborative approach and ability to create meaningful experiences in-store and online through best-in-class product offerings will continue to help drive this business forward.”
Sept. 12, 2022: Vans has hired Marissa Pardini as its chief product and merchandising officer. Pardini will step into the role on Dec. 1. In the position, Vans said Pardini will be tasked with leading global product, which includes apparel and footwear, as well as its merchandising function “as the brand looks to further its objective to be consumer-minded, retail-centric and hyper-digital brand.” Most recently, Pardini served as the VP and GM of The North Face Americas region, a role she’s held since 2020.
Aug. 30, 2022: New Balance has named Romina Bongiovanni as its global director of international marketing, where she will oversee the brand’s marketing strategy as part of the global leadership team. She previously served as the company’s director of global communications and entertainment. She replaces Tim Malone, who left the role to join Crocs as its VP of global integrated marketing.
July 11, 2022: Matchesfashion is set to welcome its fourth CEO in five years, according to a report from FN sister publication WWD. The e-commerce company has reportedly tapped Nick Beighton, who spent much of his career at fast-fashion giant Asos, to the top job. He will succeed Paolo De Cesare, who joined Matchesfashion less than a year ago, as CEO. Matchesfashion was acquired in September 2017 by Apax Partners at a reported valuation of $1 billion after a bidding frenzy by a number of private equity investors, including Permira and KKR.