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 web@footwearnews.com.
April 21, 2021: Vans has appointed Kristin Harrer as its global chief marketing officer. The new exec, who joins the brand from Dollar Shave Club and has more than two decades of marketing experience, is tasked with leading the company’s vision, strategy and global planning, as well as creative development and execution for marketing across its retail, brand and digital channels. She reports directly to global brand president Doug Palladini. “In addition to being an outstanding leader with a proven track record at other global brands, Kristin is a passionate and true brand expert in digital and direct-to-consumer experiences,” Palladini said in a statement. “As we continue to accelerate our digital transformative thinking, Kristin will spearhead our brand’s ability to connect with our global consumer base through the creation of meaningful and authentic consumer touch points.”
April 21, 2021: Mytheresa has named Heather Kaminetsky as its president of North America, effective June 1. In her new role, Kaminetsky — most recently the chief brand officer at M.Gemi — will be responsible for all Mytheresa customer-facing activities in the North American market, including personal shopping, communication and affiliate marketing. “The U.S. is an important growth market for Mytheresa,” CEO Michael Kliger said in a statement. “It is a game-changer for us to have a dedicated local team to make more consumers aware of our unique value proposition and to deliver the first-class shopping experience that our customers expect. Heather has proven in the past that she can scale brand awareness and a customer base for companies such as Net-a-Porter and Barneys New York.”
April 15, 2021: Coach parent Tapestry Inc. has announced the appointment of Todd Kahn to the role of brand president and CEO. The exec, who has held the posts on an interim basis since July, will be in charge of all aspects of the brand, reporting to Tapestry CEO Joanne Crevoiserat. Kahn joined Tapestry in January 2008 and has held a number of leadership roles within the organization. He started in the role of SVP, general counsel and secretary, as well as served in the positions of chief legal officer until March last year, company secretary until August, and president and chief administrative officer from May 2016 to the present. According to the retail group, which owns the Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman brands, Kahn has also led the “revenue-generating business units” at Coach since March.
April 14, 2021: Stitch Fix founder Katrina Lake is stepping down from her role as CEO. The chief executive, who founded the online styling service a decade ago while she was a student at Harvard Business School, announced her departure in a letter to employees. She will transition to the role of executive chairperson of the board, effective Aug. 1. The San Francisco-based platform added in a statement that it has named president Elizabeth Spaulding to the top post upon Lake’s exit. Spaulding, who spent more than 20 years at Bain & Company prior to joining Stitch Fix, has also been elected to the board of directors.
April 14, 2021: Wolverine World Wide Inc. announced today that it has appointed Kathleen Wilson-Thompson to its board of directors, effective May 5. This year, Wilson-Thompson retired as EVP and global chief human resources officer at Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. Her career also includes several leadership positions at Kellogg Company. Aside from Wolverine, she also serves on the Tesla Inc. board, as well as the board of directors for the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan. “Kathleen has been associated with some of the largest consumer-focused businesses in the world, and we are excited to welcome her to our board of directors,” Wolverine World Wide Inc. chairman and CEO Blake Krueger said in a statement. “She brings a breadth of experiences to our Company, and her proven record of leading large global companies through complex and challenging environments will be instrumental in helping to drive Wolverine Worldwide’s Global Growth Agenda.”
April 13, 2021: Anthropologie has named Tricia Smith as its global CEO following the exit of Hillary Super, who stepped down on Friday after four years with the company. Smith joins the chain from apparel retailer Tilly’s, where she served as chief merchandising officer since 2019. Prior to that, she spent more than 26 years in merchandising roles at Nordstrom. In a statement, parent Urban Outfitters Inc. CEO Richard Hayne said, “She is an accomplished leader with extensive merchant experience. She understands the Anthropologie customer, and I’m confident she will successfully expand the brand’s equity and reach.”
April 12, 2021: Zadig & Voltaire has tapped Hélène Jessua as head of sustainable development. According to FN’s sister publication WWD, the new exec began her career at Carrefour, where she spent a decade in the sustainability division, and thenjumped to catalogue business Redcats, where she helped in the development strategies of more than a dozen brands. In 2014, she joined French ReFashion, and since 2017, she has served as an independent consultant to companies about corporate social responsibility issues. “Her mastery of environmental and social issues in supply chains, her 360-degree vision of matters linked to the evolution of consumption habits and her international culture allows us to write a new, ambitious chapter for the brand and align Zadig & Voltaire’s know-how with the concerns of our times,” said CEO Rémy Baume.
April 9, 2021: J.Crew Group has appointed four executives to its senior management team to boost its marketing, digital and sustainability initiatives. The company has named Levi Strauss & Co. VP of Human Resources Jose Davila as its chief people officer, while Danielle Schmelkin, formerly Madewell’s chief information officer, has taken on the same role at J.Crew. In addition, Madewell veterans Derek Yarbrough and Liz Hershfield have been tapped for the newly created positions of chief marketing officer and SVP of sustainability, respectively. All executives will report to CEO Libby Wadle, who said in a statement, “Jose, Danielle, Derek and Liz are proven leaders in their respective fields, share our core values and bring significant expertise, as well as a passion for our brands that will drive our business forward.”
April 9, 2021: Chiara Ferragni has joined Tod’s Group‘s board of directors. The influencer’s relationship with the brand began four years ago when together they created the #ChiaraLovesTods limited-edition capsule. In a statement, chairman Diego Della Valle said, “Chiara’s knowledge of the world of young people will certainly be extremely valuable. Together, we will try to build solidarity and support projects for those in need, raising awareness and involving the new generations more and more in these kind of operations.”
April 7, 2021: Vibram Corp. has made several changes to its executive management team, which it said is part of its long-term organizational strategy to align the business to drive growth. Tammy Vrahopoulos is the company’s VP of human resources, Nicola Beretta is now the VP of finance and Jay Steere is the VP of product creation and merchandising. The three will report to Vibram Corp. president and global chief brand officer Fabrizio Gamberini. Eric Rosen, who has spent almost 20 years with the company, will retire this month. “Eric’s contributions to Vibram are deeply significant and he’s helped drive results for many years. I’ve worked with him for almost three years and will miss him greatly.” Gamberini said in a statement. “We have a thoughtful succession strategy in place and have built a highly skilled, consumer-focused executive management team with the experience, acumen, brand knowledge, and Vibram brand values required to continue to build sustainable growth for Vibram, for the long-term.”
April 6, 2021: Saucony has appointed Fábio Tambosi to its chief marketing officer role, effective immediately. In this position, Tambosi will be tasked with strategic development and execution of the company’s global branding initiatives, and will report to Anne Cavassa, president of Saucony. (Additionally, he will join the brand’s senior leadership team.) Tambosi has more than 18 years of industry experience, and was most recently at Adidas where he was the global head of brand, planning and activation for the sports performance categories. Before Adidas, he had stints at Nike and Nokia.
April 6, 2021: Retailer Snipes USA has tapped Marty Badour, who has been with the company for eight years, to fill its EVP of retail role. Snipes said Badour was pivotal in the rebranding and integration of Kicks USA to Snipes USA, as well as the Mr. Alan’s Men’s Bootery acquisition, both occurring in 2019. With this new position, Snipes USA confirmed he will also become a member of the executive team and will continue to lead its field, operations, talent development, loss prevention and visual merchandising teams. Badour will report to Jim Bojko, president of Snipes. Before Snipes, Badour held leadership positions at The Jones Group, Foot Locker Inc. and Jimmy Jazz.
April 6, 2021: Phil Graves, who has roughly two decades of experience leading sustainability efforts, has secured the chief sustainability officer role at Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s. In the role, Graves will work closely with Johnny Morris, the founder and CEO Bass Pro Shops, to improve upon its sustainability efforts including manufacturing, supply chain and operations. Additionally, he will work with Bass Pro Shops senior director of conservation Bob Ziehmer to expand wildlife conservation and educational programs under the Johnny Morris Conservation Foundation. Graves has held roles at Patagonia, Deloitte and PWC prior to joining Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s.
April 5, 2021: Ralph Lauren Corp. has hired Selfridges’ former digital fashion director, Jack Becht, as its creative director of agency, overseeing the Polo, Luxury, Lauren, Home and RL content studio divisions. According to FN’s sister publication WWD, he has more than a decade of experience in advertising, branded content and editorial. Becht, who reports to chief digital and content officer Alice Delahunt, succeeds SVP and creative director of concept and integration Nathan Copan, who departed the company at the end of March.
April 2, 2021: J.Crew Group is building out its senior leadership team as it embarks on a long-term strategic growth plan after emerging from bankruptcy. The company has named four new executives: Jose Davila as chief people officer; Danielle Schmelkin as chief information officer; Derek Yarbrough as chief marketing officer; and Liz Hershfield as SVP of sustainability. “Jose, Danielle, Derek and Liz are proven leaders in their respective fields, share our core values and bring significant expertise as well as a passion for our brands that will drive our business forward,” CEO Libby Wadle said in a statement. In addition, J.Crew has appointed former Nike exec Frits Dirk van Paasschen, Madison Park Ventures founder Anna Fieler and Slack chief people officer Nadia Rawlinson to its board of directors.
April 1, 2021: Heidi Cooley has been promoted to the post of SVP and chief marketing officer at Crocs. The new CMO joined the shoe brand as VP of global marketing in 2016 and became head of global marketing in 2020. “Under Heidi’s leadership, Crocs has ignited its brand presence around the globe, engaging and exciting more consumers than ever before through our inclusive ‘Come As You Are’ platform,” Crocs brand president Michelle Poole said in a statement. “We’re confident that Heidi is the right marketing leader to drive our mission to make everyone comfortable in their own shoes forward today and in the future.”
April 1, 2021: Columbia Sportswear has announced the retirement of SVP of emerging brands Doug Morse in the summer, following a 27-year career at the company. He began as a temp in the consumer department back in 1994 and subsequently advanced to positions such as GM in Canada, VP/chief business development officer and GM of LAAP distributors. He took on the additional role of managing the emerging brands portfolio and the Asia subsidiaries in 2017 before focusing on emerging brands in 2020. Succeeding Morse is Craig Zanon, who spent more than two decades at Nike, where he most recently served as VP and GM of global basketball. During his time at the Swoosh, he was also VP for U.S. Footwear and GM for the Americas. “Craig brings a wealth of experience that will help us continue the growth trajectory of Sorel, Mountain Hardwear and prAna,” chairman, president and CEO Tim Boyle said in a statement. “He will build on the brand-led, consumer focused strategy that we have been pursuing for the last several years.”
April 1, 2021: Texas-based Twisted X Global Brands has announced two changes to its leadership team. Lee Lemon has been promoted to VP of sales after previously serving as GM. In his new role, Lemon will be responsible for the Twisted X, Twisted X Work, CellSole and Tamarindo collections. CEO Prasad Reddy said in a statement, “What makes Twisted X special is that we prioritize our retailers instead of competing with them, giving them everything they need for success including the best products, education and support. We have full confidence in Lee to continue strengthening these strategic partnerships to further our growth.” Meanwhile, Monte Nelson has joined the firm as VP of Western and will lead sales efforts for all Western product under the Twisted X, Black Star and Wrangler Footwear brands. Nelson most recently was a senior sales executive at Justin Brands Inc.
