Neiman Marcus Names Former Williams Sonoma Exec as Its New President
Jennie Bell
Deputy Managing Editor
Neiman Marcus Group announced today that retail executive Ryan Ross will join the company as president, effective Aug. 15.
Ross was most recently president of Williams Sonoma, where he was responsible for driving integrated channel strategies, customer growth and evolving the relevancy of its brands. Prior to that, he served as EVP of marketing and digital at HSN during the company’s acquisition by QVC. He has also held leadership positions at Harrods, Pottery Barn and Gap Inc.
As president of Neiman Marcus, Ross will report directly to NMG CEO Geoffrey van Raemdonck and has been tasked with fueling “acceleration by strengthening the brand and customer experience,” according to the company.
“Ryan is a values-driven leader with a proven track record of achieving rapid growth and optimizing customer-centric experiences,” van Raemdonck said in a statement. “This new role represents the next step in our ‘Revolutionizing Luxury Experiences’ strategy, and we’re confident that an esteemed omnichannel retail leader like Ryan further positions Neiman Marcus for sustainable growth.”
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The department store giant also announced another leadership change. Chief customer officer David Goubert, who has been with NMG for three years, is departing to pursue personal interests, including his passion for social impact businesses.
Meanwhile, the company noted that Lana Todorovich, who serves as president and chief merchandising officer at Neiman Marcus, will remain in her current role, leading the store’s merchandising and buying, and creating retail-tainment experiences and curated assortments. She will now report to Ross.
In June, NMG provided a financial update on its performance, reporting that it saw comparable sales growth of over 30% compared to the same period last year, surpassing pre-COVID benchmarks. It also saw comparable GMV growth, or total sales value over a period of time, in the high 20% range versus pre-pandemic 2019. Strong full-price selling also contributed to a strong margin expansion over 300 basis points.
At the time, van Raemdonck said in a statement, “Our performance reflects continued strong growth … as well as a healthy U.S. luxury customer. While we continue to operate in a dynamic environment, we believe we are well positioned for the future with our differentiated integrated luxury retail model, healthy balance sheet, and strong customer and luxury brand relationships.”
