Brands
Tommy John
Underwear brand Tommy John has named former Calvin Klein CEO Cheryl Abel-Hodges as its new CEO. She will work closely with founders Tom Patterson and Erin Fujimoto to build the Tommy John brand through continued wholesale expansion and product innovation.
Abel-Hodges brings extensive experience in the underwear and apparel space through her nearly 30 years in the fashion industry, including executive stints as president of the PVH Underwear Group, president of wholesale sportswear at Izod, vice president of sales and planning at Ralph Lauren and vice president, general manager of apparel, at Liz Claiborne. Most recently, Abel-Hodges served as the CEO of Calvin Klein since June 2019.
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Alexander McQueen
Creative director Sarah Burton is leaving Alexander McQueen after two decades with the Kering-owned luxury fashion house. This month’s Spring-Summer 2024 runway show in Paris marks the end the partnership that began when Burton became creative director in May 2020, after working alongside Lee Alexander McQueen for more than 14 years.
Caleres
Caleres, the portfolio of footwear brands, promoted Natelle Baddeley to chief design and product officer, effective immediately. Baddeley will continue to report to CEO Jay Schmidt and will have creative oversight for the majority of the Caleres brand. She will lead product strategy across design, merchandising and innovation.
Rocky Brands
Boot manufacturer and seller Rocky Brands announced that senior vice president, chief financial officer (CFO) and treasurer Sarah O’Connor has resigned, effective immediately. The company has commenced a search for her replacement. Chief operating officer Tom Robertson, who previously served as CFO, will reassume CFO duties until a permanent successor is named.
Lululemon
Lululemon appointed Shane Grant to serve on its board of directors, effective Nov. 1. Grant has been the group deputy CEO, CEO of Americas and executive vice president of dairy, plant-based and global sales at Danone, a global food and beverage company, since January. He joined Danone in May 2020 and previously was EVP and CEO, Danone North America.
Retail
Macy’s
Macy’s named Oliver Bron as CEO of Bloomingdale’s, with an anticipated start date in early November. Bron will report directly to Tony Spring, president and CEO-elect of Macy’s. As CEO, Bron will lead the retailer’s overall strategy. He will also be responsible for building Bloomingdale’s designer curation.
Bron has over 20 years of retail leadership experience, most recently as CEO of Central Group’s Central and Robinson department stores in Thailand. Bron will be relocating with his family to New York.
Nordstrom
Nordstrom made several executive leadership changes in the merchandising and store organizations, effective immediately.
Jamie Nordstrom was appointed chief merchandising officer. He previously served as the company’s chief stores officer and offers more than 28 years of experience. Fanya Chandler was appointed president of Nordstrom stores, overseeing the strategy and execution of Nordstrom stores. Chandler has held several leadership positions during her nearly 32 years with Nordstrom and most recently served as senior vice president and regional manager of the Southwest region.
Gemma Lionello was appointed to the new role of president of Nordstrom Rack, overseeing the strategy and execution of Nordstrom Rack stores. Throughout her 35-year tenure with the company, Lionello has served in numerous executive positions, including general merchandise manager, and spent 11 years working within the Nordstrom Rack business.
Fanatics
Sports apparel and merchandise retailer Fanatics named Low Ah Kee as CEO of its core merchandise business, Fanatics Commerce, effective immediately. He will run the company’s largest vertical, covering licensed fan gear, jerseys, apparel and hard goods. Ah Kee brings over 20 years of experience and a proven track record around scaling businesses and brands into new markets, leveraging data and customer insights to drive performance. He replaces former Fanatics Commerce CEO Doug Mack, who announced his retirement last month. Mack will work closely with Ah Kee for the rest of the year to facilitate the transition and will continue to serve as a special advisor in the future.
Technology
Session AI
In-session marketing company Session AI hired three new executives. Chief financial officer, Vasanth Shenai, has led finance organizations for late-stage and public Silicon Valley companies. Chief marketing officer, Jason Seeba, has led marketing for six companies, including $2 billion-plus startups Eightfold AI and Bloomreach, and advises B2B AI companies on growth strategy. Brian Peterson, senior vice president of customer delivery, has built and led global teams to design, implement and service enterprise solutions.
