Jan. 29, 2018: Pentland Brands has appointed Chirag Patel, previously its global strategy and portfolio director, to COO. Patel will take responsibility of Pentland’s operating model and governance structure and will continue to lead the strategy and planning processes. He will also spearhead the acquisition of brands and footwear licenses. Pentland owns several labels such as Speedo and Kangaroos, and is majority shareholder of sneaker brand SeaVees, the global licensee for Ted Baker footwear and Kickers, and has a joint venture partnership for Lacoste footwear.
Jan. 29, 2018: Insole maker OrthoLite has promoted C.B. Tuite from SVP of sales and marketing to chief sales officer. In this new role, Tuite will lead the growth strategy and drive expansion into new sales channels across multiple categories. He is also responsible for managing the innovation and marketing of all new and existing comfort technologies. Prior to OrthoLite, Tuite was the GM of Ecoo Shoes.
Jan. 24, 2018: Ralph Lauren Corp. has announced several senior talent appointments focused on digital expansion. Alice Delahunt will join the company in the newly created role of chief digital officer, reporting directly to CEO Patrice Louvet, beginning in April. Delahunt joins Ralph Lauren from Burberry, where she served as director of digital marketing. Additionally, Laura Porco has been appointed SVP of e-commerce for Ralph Lauren North America. Porco formerly ran e-commerce for Ralph Lauren’s Club Monaco brand and was previously with Amazon for 12 years. Galen Hardy will take on the role of SVP of Club Monaco e-commerce and business operations, joining the Company from Zappos, where he oversaw apparel merchandising. Valeria Juarez will assume the role of SVP of e-commerce, international. She served as SVP of e-commerce, EMEA since 2016 and, prior to joining Ralph Lauren, held various senior roles at Amazon UK and Diageo.
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Jan. 23, 2018: Asics Corp. president, chairman and CEO Motoi Oyama will shed his president title when Yasuhito Hirota joins the company as president and COO on March 29. Hirota, who this month assumed an advisory role at the firm ahead of his formal appointment, joins Asics from his previous position as EVP, corporate functional officer and head of regional strategy for Japan at Mitsubishi Corp., where he spent almost 38 years. Oyama became president of Asics in 2008 and was appointed chairman of the board in March 2017. Taking one title off of Oyama’s plate is expected to help Asics accelerate its long-term growth strategy.
Jan. 23, 2018: After four decades in the shoe industry, Rick Ausick is retiring. The Famous Footwear president will step down from his post as part of a planned succession process. The executive will stay on as parent company Caleres Inc. searches for his replacement, and will help guide Famous Footwear through the transition. Ausick served in major positions at several department stores before joining Famous Footwear in 2002 as chief merchandising officer, taking over the top spot in 2009.
Jan. 22, 2018: Wolverine World Wide Inc. namesake brand Wolverine has appointed Rick Appelsies VP of product management for footwear and apparel. Prior to accepting his new post, Appelsies spent time at Red Wing, Gander Mountain and most recently Rocky Brands.
Jan. 19, 2018: Manitobah Mukluks has named Paul Silvertown and Impact Group its exclusive agency for sales and distribution outside North America. Silvertown comes to Manitobah from Canada Goose, where he was VP of global sales.
Jan. 19. 2018: Former Gucci America COO Matteo Mascazzini will take the CEO post at Geox SpA — a position to be made official during a board meeting on Feb. 1. He will succeed Gregorio Borgo, who is leaving the Italian footwear company after only one year. For about a decade, Mascazzini held several positions at Gucci, including associate president of Gucci Europe, Middle East and India, and president and CEO of Gucci Japan. He also spent time at Giorgio Armani and Gianni Versace.
Jan. 18, 2018: Nike Inc. announced that Dirk-Jan “DJ” van Hameren has been promoted to VP and chief marketing officer, effective immediately. Van Hameren will succeed Greg Hoffman, who has been appointed VP of global brand creative and marketing innovation, responsible for leading brand communications, brand design, advanced concepts and digital marketing innovation, as well as global brand imaging, events marketing and creative operations. Van Hameren, a 25-year veteran of Nike, most recently served as VP, GM of Nike Sportswear. With more than 20 years of experience at Nike, Hoffman will focus in his new role on creative storytelling, brand design and experiences that drive separation and distinction in the marketplace. Hoffman will report to van Hameren.
Jan. 17, 2018: Journeys parent Genesco Inc. has announced that Mimi Eckel Vaughn, the company’s SVP and CFO, will become COO once her successor as CFO is appointed. Genesco — which also owns Lids Sports Group and Schuh — said it has launched a search for a new CFO. Vaughn, a 14-year veteran of the company, joined Genesco as VP of strategy and business development in 2003.
Jan. 16, 2018: Kim Jones, Louis Vuitton’s men’s artistic director since 2011, will exit the LVMH-owned luxury label after showing his fall ’18 collection in Paris this week.
Jan. 11, 2018: Delta Shoe Group, parent company of Sandro Moscoloni, announced the death of its CEO, Homero De La Torre. “Homero’s leadership helped Delta Shoe Group grow to its position of prominence and success, and he will be greatly missed,” said Delta Shoe Group president Frank Lorenzo, who was appointed to his role in June 2017. “We will honor his memory by committing ourselves to continuing the work he so loved.”
Jan. 11, 2018: Comfort footwear maker Mephisto Inc. has named James Rowley the new president and CEO of Mephisto USA, effective Jan. 9. Rowley — who replaces Michael Crosno, who held the post since August 2015 — most recently served as VP of sales and marketing at Geox. He also served as SVP of sales and marketing of The Born Group at HH Brown.
Jan. 5, 2018: Karen Katz, a longtime Neiman Marcus executive and its president and CEO since 2010, will retire from her post on Feb. 12 when former Ralph Lauren executive Geoffroy van Raemdonck will take the reins, the company confirmed today. Katz will retain her board seat. Van Raemdonck joins Neiman Marcus after serving as group president for EMEA and global travel retail at Ralph Lauren. Prior to that, he was CEO at St. John Knits International Inc. and has held a variety of executive roles at Louis Vuitton, where he worked from 2008 to 2013.
Jan. 4, 2018: Nathan Jenden is returning to the Diane von Furstenberg as chief design officer and VP of creative. Jenden previously spent a decade with the label before exiting in 2010 to focus on an eponymous collection. His return follows the brief stint of Jonathan Saunders, chief creative officer since 2016, who departed from DVF in December. Jenden’s first full collection will land for Fall 2018, shown in February. He will report directly to von Furstenberg and the company’s board.
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