Shuffle Board: Alibaba CEO Expands Role to Tmall, Canada Goose Gets New Finance Exec
Brands
J.Crew
Liz Hershfield, senior vice president of sustainability for the J.Crew Group, is exiting the company due to a corporate consolidation of the global sustainability functions. She will serve in a revised role through January.
“J.Crew Group’s sourcing and sustainability priorities in 2024 will continue to be focused on driving the industry forward through innovative partnerships with leading organizations and first-of-its kind initiatives, such as our regenerative agriculture program,” the company said in a statement. “Consolidating our global sourcing and sustainability functions under one J.Crew Group team will enable us to further support our brands and work to enhance the close collaboration between sourcing and sustainability activities and initiatives. On a personal level, we are grateful for Liz’s many contributions to our company and wish her well in her future endeavors.”
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Hershfield’s responsibilities will be assumed by Doug Forster, J.Crew Group’s chief sourcing officer, as well as other members of the sourcing organization. Forster joined J.Crew in 2020 and is responsible for overseeing J.Crew Group’s sourcing team and leading all aspects of sourcing and sustainability initiatives company wide.
Crocs
Casual footwear brand Crocs announced that John Replogle and Neeraj Tolmare have been appointed to its board of directors, effective Jan. 1. Replogle brings decades of global leadership positions at major consumer brands like Seventh Generation, Burt’s Bees, Unilever’s Skin Care division and Diageo. Tolmare has more than 20 years of experience in leading technology teams and digital transformation initiatives across diverse industries.
Gildan
Gildan Activewear announced that Chris Shackelton, a co-founder and managing partner of Coliseum Capital Management, has joined Gildan’s board of directors, effective immediately. This follows an agreement between the two companies, pursuant to which Coliseum will support Gildan’s full slate of board nominees at the 2024 and 2025 annual meetings of shareholders.
Weird Fish
UK-based lifestyle brand Weird Fish appointed David Butler as its next CEO. Butler takes over from John Stockton, who has led Weird Fish since 2008. Butler has extensive experience in multichannel retail, most recently serving as CEO of Crew Clothing.
Losano
Los Angeles-based premium apparel brand Losano has announced the appointment of two additions to its board of directors: Martin Brok and Susan Hennike. Brok brings a wealth of expertise to the Losano board, most recently having served as global president and CEO at Sephora. Hennike’s career includes executive roles with Nike, Adidas, Champion, Victoria’s Secret, and Bombas.
Canada Goose
Luxury parka purveyor Canada Goose appointed Beth Clymer to the newly created position of president, finance, strategy and administration, effective Jan. 8. She will oversee finance, people and culture, corporate strategy and legal, partnering with the leaders who drive these functions. Clymer will work closely with both Jonathan Sinclair and Neil Bowden prior to their transitions to president, APAC and CFO, respectively, on April 1.
In other leadership updates, Penny Brook, chief marketing and experience officer, will leave the company at the end of the year.
Retail
Alibaba
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. announced that Edie Yongming Wu, CEO of the company and chairman of Taobao and Tmall Group, will now also serve as CEO of Taobao and Tmall Group. The company will form a new asset management group to focus on managing the operation of the company’s non-core assets as part of its ongoing efforts to improve return on capital and enhance shareholder value.
Kohl’s
Kohl’s announced that Wendy Arlin has joined its board as an independent director. Arlin, who most recently served as chief financial officer for Bath & Body Works Inc., brings more than three decades of experience in corporate finance, financial reporting, oversight and accounting, with deep expertise in the consumer industry. Arlin has been appointed to a term expiring at Kohl’s 2024 annual shareholders meeting and will stand for election by Kohl’s shareholders at that time. She will serve on the board’s audit committee.
Express
Antonio Lucio notified the Express board of directors of his decision to resign from the board, effective immediately and unrelated to any disagreement with the company on any matter relating to its operations, policies or practices. The board effectively shrinks from 10 to nine directors.
H&M Group
H&M has promoted Hendrik Alpen to a new role as communications director. Tobias Fischer will gradually take over Alpen’s current role as lead of the sustainability engagement team. Fischer will transition into the role over a period of four to six months while handing over his current role as head of sustainability governance.
Textiles
BASF
Chemical producer BASF announced that, effective at the end of the annual shareholders’ meeting on April 25, Dr. Markus Kamieth will take over as chairman of the board of executive directors. He succeeds Dr. Martin Brudermüller, who has been chairman of the board of executive directors since 2018.
The supervisory board has appointed Anup Kothari, currently president of the nutrition and health division, to the board of executive directors, effective March 1. The supervisory board has also appointed Katja Scharpwinkel to the board of executive directors and industrial relations director, effective Feb. 1. Scharpwinkel succeeds Dr. Melanie Maas-Brunner, who informed the supervisory board that she will not extend her current contract, which runs until Jan. 31.
PrimaLoft
Advanced materials technology company PrimaLoft has promoted Anne Cavassa to CEO. Cavassa was named president in November and adding the position of CEO to her role is an “acceleration of a planned transition to the next phase of the company’s leadership,” PrimaLoft said in a statement. As such, Mike Joyce will be stepping down after serving as president and CEO for a decade. He will transition to the role of vice chair on the company’s board of directors.
