Industry Moves: December 2019

Dec. 20, 2019: Hudson’s Bay Co.‘s CFO is back. Ed Record has returned to his post following medical leave and is resuming his duties. Becky Roof, a managing director with AlixPartners, has also stepped down from her role as interim CFO. Record joined HBC in August 2017 and has focused on streamlining the company and improving its balance sheet.

Dec. 19, 2019: Mr Porter has appointed Fiona Firth, the company’s buying director since 2016, as managing director. She replaces Toby Bateman, who exited the post this year. In her new role, Firth will report to Alison Loehnis, president of Yoox Net-a-Porter’s luxury division. Firth will be responsible for steering Mr Porter’s development plans in several areas, including curation, service, content and experiences. Prior to joining the Yoox Net-a-Porter Group, Firth held leadership roles in menswear buying for River Island, Harvey Nichols and Harrods.

Dec. 13, 2019: Magnus Wedhammar, general manager of Sanuk, has left the company to pursue other opportunities. He joined the brand in June 2016. Wendy Yang, president of the performance lifestyle group, will continue leading the Sanuk, Hoka One One, and Teva brands, while Erik Ecklund will continue as head of sales for Sanuk.

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Dec. 13, 2019: Following the departure of Massimo Piombini, who stepped down last month, Balmain has tapped Zadig & Voltaire chief Jean-Jacques Guével as its new CEO. He will take up the position in February. Guével joined Zadig in 2017; before that he was international director of Celine for eight years. The executive previously worked at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton’s fashion division.

Dec. 12, 2019: Bonobos founder Andy Dunn is departing Walmart. His exit comes two years after the big-box giant acquired the online apparel retailer and hired Dunn to help expand its e-commerce operations. In a post on LinkedIn, he wrote, “I learned a lot more about retail transformation in the digital age at the world’s biggest company. … With my departure, that incubator will now be plugged directly into the Walmart mothership.”

Bonobos founder and ceo Andy Dunn at Bonobos guideshop in Manhattan.Andy Dunn, New York
Andy Dunn.
CREDIT: Shutterstock

Dec. 12, 2019: Outdoor shoe brand Oboz has hired Rich Hohne as director of marketing. Hohne, an avid outdoorsman, previously spent more than 10 years at Simms Fishing Products, where he held various marketing positions. Amy Beck, president of Oboz, said in a statement, “Rich has a deep understanding of passion-driven technical brands and his expertise will be instrumental as we move into our next phase of growth.”

Dec. 12, 2019: Lululemon COO Stuart Haselden is exiting the athletic apparel company to head luggage maker Away. The exec, who starts his new role in mid-January, also served as international EVP and focused on product category expansion as well as omnichannel experiences. During his five-year tenure at Lululemon, Haselden helped double the firm’s revenues and increase its market capitalization from $6 billion to nearly $30 billion. He was previously CFO at J.Crew.

Stuart Haselden, incoming Away CEO
Stuart Haselden.
CREDIT: Away

Dec. 10, 2019: Stitch Fix has announced Elizabeth Spaulding‘s appointment as president, reporting to CEO Katrina Lake starting Jan. 27. She has served as the global head and founder of Bain & Company’s digital practice, a partner at the global consulting firm and on its board of directors. Stitch Fix also announced the resignation of CFO Paul Yee; President and COO Mike Smith will now also take on the role of interim CFO, effective Jan. 3.

Dec. 10, 2019: Topshop CEO Paul Price is exiting the fast-fashion label, parent company Arcadia Group confirmed today. The exec is reportedly leaving for personal reasons amid plans to relocate to the United States. Price’s departure comes two years after he took the Topshop reins in September 2017, a position he took following a 10-year stint as chief merchandising officer of Burberry. Arcadia did not announce its plans for a successor at this time; however, Arcadia CEO Ian Grabiner will assume Price’s responsibilities for the time being.

Dec. 10, 2019: Global sneaker retailer Snipes has named DJ Khaled as chief creative officer, effective immediately. In his new role, the Miami-based producer and entertainer, will provide creative output of Snipes’ marketing and experiential initiatives in North America and Europe. “Music remains at the forefront of my career, and I’m excited to change things up a bit through this partnership,” said Khaled. “Being named chief creative officer of a globally recognized sneaker retailer is really big, and I love that I can work on other things that I am passionate about.”

DJ Khaled, red carpet, nickelodeon, kids choice awards
DJ Khaled.
CREDIT: Shutterstock

Dec. 10, 2019: Valérie Hermann, formerly president of global brands at Ralph Lauren Corp., has been tapped by private investment firm EPI as managing director of its fashion and luxury division, which includes Bonpoint and J.M. Weston. She will commence her role on Jan. 8, when she will also become a member of EPI’s executive committee.

Dec. 9, 2019: Sebastian Suhl, who joined Valentino in January 2018 as managing director of global markets, will leave the luxury fashion house at the end of January 2020, WWD reports. Prior to Valentino, Suhl was the CEO of Marc Jacobs International.

Sebastian Suhl
Sebastian Suhl.
CREDIT: Courtesy Photo.

Dec. 6, 2019: The House of Rochas has announced the exit of womenswear creative director Alessandro Dell’Acqua. His departure comes six years after taking on the role. “I am extremely grateful to the Maison Rochas for the path taken from 2013 to the last show to be held in February 2020,” he said. “It gave me the great opportunity to associate my name with a French brand with such an important historical legacy.” His replacement has yet to be named.

Dec. 5, 2019: Linda Heasley, president, CEO and a member of the board of directors at J.Jill Inc., has stepped down. James Scully, who currently serves as a member of the board, has stepped as interim CEO, effective immediately. The board has begun a search process for a permanent CEO, and Scully will serve in the role on a temporary basis until the company has identified a replacement.

Dec. 5, 2019: Macy’s president Hal Lawton is resigning, effective Dec. 6. After two years on the job, he will be leaving the retail giant to take the helm at Tractor Supply Co. on Jan. 13, succeeding CEO Greg Sandfort. Prior to Macy’s, Lawton served as SVP of North America at eBay Inc. The department store chain has yet to name a successor.

Hal Lawton YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund Awards dinner, New York, USA - 10 Jan 2019
Hal Lawton.
CREDIT: Lexie Moreland/Shutterstock

Dec. 3, 2019: Karl Walsh has joined JCPenney as SVP and chief digital officer. Most recently, he was CDO at Pandora Jewelry, where he grew its global e-commerce business. At JCPenney, Walsh has been tasked with developing the retailer’s digital platforms and bringing the customer experience to life on JCP.com. He will report to Shawn Gensch, EVP and chief customer officer.

Dec. 2, 2019: Balmain CEO Massimo Piombini is exiting the French luxury fashion house. According to FN sister publication WWD, the exec, who joined in April 2017 from Italian label Valentino, is departing for personal reasons. It added that a new chief would be employed at the firm in February. Under Piombini, Balmain opened stores in Miami, São Paolo, Paris, Moscow and Hong Kong, as well as signing a lease for a flagship in New York, scheduled to open in the first half of 2020.

Massimo Piombini, CEO BalmainIBM Studios Milan Fashion Global Summit, Italy - 21 Oct 2019
Massimo Piombini.
CREDIT: Nick Zonna/Shutterstock

Dec. 2, 2019: Corneliani has appointed Giorgio Brandazza its new CEO, reports WWD. Brandazza previously served as COO of Calvin Klein Jeanswear and as international business development manager of Boggi. He succeeds Luigi Ferrando, who had been CEO of the Italian menswear brand for just one year.

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