Sept. 18, 2020: Valentino‘s general manager for the Middle East region has been promoted to the role of CEO of the Americas. Laurent Bergamo, whose appointment is effective immediately, will report to chief commercial officer Marco Giacometti. As part of his responsibilities, Bergamo will supervise the development of the luxury fashion house’s retail, wholesale and online distribution networks in the United States, Canada and Mexico. He has been replaced in his former post by Simone Bertolini.
Sept. 18, 2020: Gian Giacomo Ferraris is exiting his post as CEO of Roberto Cavalli. According to FN’s sister publication WWD, the exec announced the news to his team “with mixed feelings, which include some satisfaction, a bit of sadness and a few regrets.” Ferraris joined the company from Versace in 2016, succeeding Roberto Semerari. He departs the company at the end of the year.
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Sept. 15, 2020: Chanel has promoted Agathe Derain to the new role of head of human rights and corporate sustainability. The executive started at the post on Sept. 1, reporting directly to global chief sustainability officer Andrea d’Avack. Derain, who was formerly responsible sourcing director at Chanel’s fragrance and beauty division, graduated from Essec Business School in France and also serves as a board member of nonprofit Human Resources Without Borders. For seven years starting 2010, she worked as senior manager in charge of sustainability and human rights at the French arm of Deloitte.
Sept. 15, 2020: Crocs has named a new president. Michelle Poole, who took over the post on Sept. 10, has been tasked with overseeing the brand’s Americas, Asia and Europe-Middle East-Africa regional commercial teams, as well as the product design and management, merchandising and marketing departments. Since April, Poole served as the company’s EVP and chief product and merchandising officer. Prior to that role, she held the positions of SVP plus product and merchandising chief. In addition to those responsibilities, she took over Crocs’ marketing functions in 2017.
Sept. 14, 2020: Matchesfashion has added two senior executives to its team: Sean Glithero as CFO and Jason Weston as COO. The new finance head, who previously served in the same role at Auto Traders Group and Funding Circle Holdings, will join the luxury retailer at the end of the month. Meanwhile, the operating chief previously worked at Amazon, where he held various leadership roles. He was also the COO at NotOnTheHighStreet.com.
Sept. 11, 2020: eBay founder Pierre Omidyar is stepping back from his board responsibilities and transitioning to the role of director emeritus. “For 25 years, I’ve watched with pride as the company I created enabled economic opportunity for people around the world,” he said. “With sound strategy and leadership in place, I can transition to the role of director emeritus with confidence.” The company also announced the appointment of Carol Hayles and Mohak Shroff to its board of directors, while Jesse Cohn will step down from the board, effective immediately.
Sept. 9, 2020: Chris Benz has departed J.Crew. The designer, who had overseen the brand’s womenswear since February last year, reportedly made his exit as the company emerges from the Chapter 11 process. He joined J.Crew following his studies at the Parsons School of Design before launching his namesake label. Although a replacement has yet to be named, sources who spoke with Business of Fashion said that CEO Jan Singer plans to hire Olympia Gayot, currently the VP of design at Victoria’s Secret — where Singer served as executive chief prior to joining the beleaguered specialty retailer.
Sept. 9, 2020: Kim Jones has been announced as the new artistic director of haute couture, ready-to-wear and fur collections for women at Fendi. He will continue in his current role as artistic director of Dior Men. In a statement released to FN, parent company LVMH chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault said, “Kim Jones is a great talent, and since joining he has continuously proven his ability to adapt to the codes and heritage of the LVMH houses while revisiting them with great modernity and audacity. At Fendi I am convinced that his vision and passion will highly contribute to the success of the women’s collections.”
Sept. 9, 2020: Jennifer Foyle has been promoted to the role of chief creative officer at American Eagle Outfitters Inc. Effectively immediately, her appointment involves oversight of merchandising, design and marketing for the American Eagle brand in addition to her existing responsibilities as Aerie’s global band president. Foyle has more than 26 years of experience in the apparel retail industry, beginning her career at Bloomingdale’s and subsequently holding positions at Gap Inc. and J.Crew. Prior to joining Aerie in 2010, she was the president of Calypso St. Barth. With her new appointment, the exec will directly report to Jay Schottenstein, AEO’s CEO and executive chairman of the board.
Sept. 8, 2020: Nordstrom has hired a men’s fashion and editorial director. In a post on Twitter, former editorial director of Highsnobiety Jian DeLeon announced his appointment to the new post. He will oversee all categories in the store’s men’s department, including apparel and footwear, as well as activewear and designer lines. He reports to Nordstrom’s VP and creative director, Red Godfrey.
Sept. 4, 2020: Under Armour announced the appointment of Wes Moore, the CEO of poverty-fighting nonprofit Robin Hood Foundation, to its board of directors, effective Oct. 1. “Wes is a strategic thinker and dynamic leader whose unique expertise at the cutting-edge of finance, technology, and philanthropy will prove invaluable for Under Armour,” company executive chairman and brand chief Kevin Plank said in a statement. Prior to Robin Hood Foundation, Moore was the founder and CEO of technology and coaching platform BridgeEdU, which was acquired by student financial services company Edquity in 2019.
Sept. 3, 2020: Maison Margiela has tapped Tanja Ruhnke as its new chief marketing officer, according to FN’s sister publication WWD. The communications executive takes on the role this week and will report to incoming CEO Gianfranco Gianangeli, who starts later in the month. Prior to joining the French fashion house, Ruhnke served as Valentino’s VP of communications in North America. She also held the posts of VP of global branding and communications at Alexander Wang, as well as VP of public relations at KCD in Paris.
Sept. 3, 2020: Former Ralph Lauren executive Jérôme Espinos has been named the president of French Legacy Group, which is controlled by the Mirabaud Patrimoine Vivant private equity fund. The conglomerate recently snapped up Robert Clergerie from First Heritage Brands and fashion exec Jean-Marc Loubier. Espinos, a veteran leader in the shoe industry, seeks to emphasize “Made in France” craftsmanship as he takes the reins. French Legacy Group also now owns the labels Avril Gau and Violet Tomas.
Sept. 2, 2020: Target has named Maurice Cooper as its senior vice president of marketing. As part of the role, he will lead the strategy and execution of brand, category and promotions marketing across the company’s paid, owned and shared media, as well as oversee key campaigns. Cooper joins the company on Sept. 14 and will report to EVP and chief marketing, digital and strategy officer Rick Gomez.
Sept. 1, 2020: LVMH‘s North America division has appointed Corey Smith to the new role of VP of diversity and inclusion. He previously served in the same title at the Major League Baseball and now reports to Gena Smith, SVP of human resources and head of global executive and creative recruitment at the luxury fashion conglomerate. Prior to the MLB, Smith worked at NBC Universal, Altria Corporate Services and his alma mater, Columbia University.
Big Moves From Last Month
Aug. 27, 2020: Dollar General has announced the promotion of Kathy Reardon to the post of EVP and chief people officer. She joined the company in 2009 as its director of corporate human resources. Over the past 11 years, she worked roles in the company’s corporate human resources, talent management and field human resources departments. Reardon most recently served as its SVP and chief people officer since March 2019. “Kathy’s effectiveness as a leader at Dollar General is evident in the company’s lowest store manager turnover on record, increased employee engagement scores and leading our ongoing diversity and inclusion journey, which extends to all levels of our organization,” CEO Todd Vasos said in a statement.
Aug. 21, 2020: The executive chief of Amazon‘s worldwide consumer business is set to retire early next year. Jeff Wilke, who joined the company in 1999 and helped build its logistics operations, will be succeeded by current SVP of retail operations Dave Clark. In a note to staffers, founder and CEO Jeff Bezos wrote that Wilke has served as his “tutor” and an “incredible teacher” to the e-commerce behemoth. “That form of leadership is so leveraged,” Bezos said. “When you see us taking care of customers, you can thank Jeff for it.” Wilke is Amazon’s second-highest ranking executive along with Andy Jassy, who is the CEO of its cloud computing division. He was long considered a contender to take over the top spot if Bezos were to exit his post.
Aug. 18, 2020: FN’s sister publication WWD has learned that Jennifer Johnson was promoted to the role of ready-to-wear fashion director at Macy’s. The executive, who has been with the company for 14 years, will replace Suzanne Anderson and lead all areas of women’s apparel within the retailer’s fashion office. Johnson has more than two decades of expertise in trend forecasting and marketing. In 2006, she joined Macy’s as its head fashion stylist, as well as held a number of marketing jobs — most recently as its director of creative marketing integration and production. In her new role, she reports directly to Macy’s fashion office VP Durand Guion.
Aug. 14, 2020: Boot Barn Holdings Inc. has announced the promotion of Greg Hackman to EVP and COO. Along with the additional roles, Greg will continue in the CFO post, which he has held since 2015. “Greg’s extensive retail industry experience and financial expertise have helped Boot Barn through a tremendous period of growth,” CEO Jim Conroy said in a statement. “Greg has built a world-class finance team, and this promotion recognizes the contributions he has made across several additional functional areas.”
Aug. 13, 2020: Hudson’s Bay Company has appointed a new CFO. Michael Culhane will succeed Ed Record, who is stepping down as planned and will remain with the company to ensure a smooth transition. Culhane — who has more than 30 years of finance and accounting experience, primarily in the retail sector — most recently served as the finance chief at privately held shipping and industrial supplies distributor Uline, as well as CFO at retail chain The Bon-Ton Stores and online travel agency Fareportal. He also previously held the same post at HBC. “This is an exciting time to return to such an iconic company,” Culhane said in a statement. “I look forward to building upon the tremendous work the team has done to empower each of our operating companies as they capitalize on opportunities in their respective markets while driving growth.”
Aug. 12, 2020: Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger parent PVH Corp. has announced that Julie Fuller will join the company next month and assume the role of chief human resources officer on Jan. 1. EVP and HR head Dave Kozel, who has been with the company for 18 years, will transition out of the post at the end of the year and serve in an advisory capacity through 2021. Fuller is currently Nike’s VP of global talent and organizational effectiveness. In addition to six years at the sportswear giant, where she also led HR for its North America division, she held key HR leadership positions at both Avon and PepsiCo. “As we continue to accelerate our efforts to win with the consumer and drive fashion forward for good, we must continue the evolution of our HR strategy to support our brands and the strategic direction of PVH,” president Stefan Larsson said in a statement. “Julie brings extensive experience in establishing and nurturing talented high-performing teams for large multinational companies. Her expertise in HR, talent and leadership development, organizational effectiveness and associate engagement, as well as her experience in championing inclusion and diversity, will be incredible assets to PVH.”
Aug. 4, 2020: Following its annual general meeting, Adidas‘ supervisory board will have a new chairman. Thomas Rabe, currently the board’s deputy chairman, will take over as chairman, with Igor Landau departing the role on Aug. 11. The board has also extended appointment of CEO Kasper Rorsted for another five years. His contract, which was set to expire on Aug. 1, 2021, will now end on July 31, 2026.