REI Co-op has hired Apple Musni as its new chief people officer. She starts on March 20.
In her new role, Musni will oversee the teams shaping the company’s compensation and benefits offerings, employee experience, talent strategies and racial equity commitments.
“It is a privilege to join the REI team and support amplifying how the mission of the co-op comes to life through its employee experience,” Musni said in a statement. “I am passionate about the co-op’s purpose of awakening a lifelong love of the outdoors for all and its belief that time outside is a human right.”
The executive most recently served as VP of field people experience and recruiting at Chipotle Mexican Grill. Before that, she served in HR and operational roles at McDonald’s and Target Corporation.
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REI also announced on Thursday that it has promoted Chris Speyer to SVP, chief merchandising officer, and Isabelle Portilla to SVP, co-op brands, both effective immediately.
“As a values-led organization, we measure our success as a company by our positive impact on our employees, our members, society and our business,” said Eric Artz, REI president and CEO. “Apple brings a breadth of experience in retail and customer service, and a strong point of view about how a progressive company with a strong ethos infuses its values through its people strategy. Chris and Isabelle are both experienced leaders who have driven massive impact for the co-op in their tenure here and are well-positioned to lead our merchandising and Co-op brands teams into the future.”
The news comes over a month after REI announced staffing cuts amid a rough economic environment, laying off 167 employees and restructuring its headquarters in Kent, Wash. The cuts impacted 8% of workers in the HQ and 1% of the company’s total workforce.
“We have clear goals for the future of the co-op and are confident in our long-term strategies. But in the face of increasing uncertainty, we need to sharpen our focus on the most critical investments and areas of work to best serve our members and grow the co-op over the long term,” Artz wrote, adding that the cuts were made to help the company get back to profitability.
