Shuffle Board: Lenzing CCO to Depart, Tapestry’s Board Grows, New Nordstrom Tech Head
Brands
Tapestry
New York-based Tapestry has appointed Alan Lau to its board of directors, bringing the total number of members to 11.
Lau became chief business officer for Animoca Brands, a game software and venture capital company with a portfolio of more than 380 Web3 investments, in July 2022. In this role, Lau oversees and supports the company’s portfolio and leads M&A and business development. Before that, he was chairman and CEO of Tencent WeSure, a fintech company he co-founded to offer affordable internet insurance to WeChat users.
Tapestry owns Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman.
Richemont
Luxury house Richemont announced the appointment of Simon Holloway as Dunhill’s new creative director, effective immediately.
Holloway joins the British menswear brand from his role as creative director at fellow Richemont maison James Purdey & Sons, where he helped grow the clothing and accessories collection. He’s also held roles at Agnona and Ralph Lauren Collection, designing luxury ready-to-wear, knitwear, shoes, accessories and more.
Topo Athletic
Running sneaker company Topo Athletic has appointed Ashleigh Cook as sales director, U.S. wholesale. In this position, Cook will lead Topo’s domestic sales team, working with a network of retailer accounts and independent sales agents. She brings over a decade of sales experience to the role, including positions at Altra Running.
Nordstrom
Nordstrom Inc. has appointed Jason Morris as chief technology and information officer, effective May 1.
Morris has more than 25 years of technology experience in the retail industry and joins Nordstrom from Walmart, where he most recently led global enterprise technology as senior vice president of enterprise business services. At the Seattle-based Nordstrom, Morris will oversee the company’s technology functions, including engineering and data science and analytics.
Nordstrom has also announced the appointment of Eric Sprunk, former chief operating officer of Nike, to its board of directors, effective immediately. Sprunk will stand for election at the company’s upcoming 2023 annual meeting of shareholders.
Sprunk has more than 25 years of leadership experience in the consumer retail industry. He most recently served as chief operating officer of Nike from 2013 to 2020, where he led the teams responsible for manufacturing, sourcing, sales, procurement and technology.
Textiles
Lenzing
Supplier of wood-based specialty fibers, Lenzing, announced there will be a personnel change on the managing board of the Lenzing Group. Robert van de Kerkhof, chief commercial officer, fiber, and managing board member since 2014, informed the supervisory board he will not be extending his contract, which runs until Dec. 31.
As such, the managing board will be reduced to a party of three. Chief executive officer Stephan Sielaff will essentially take over the commercial agenda in the fiber division. Van de Kerkhof will continue to drive the sustainability area, including the CO2 roadmap, as chief sustainability officer until the end of his current term of office.
Trade
The Retail Industry Leaders Association
The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) announced Courtney Titus Brooks has joined the association as its new vice president of tax. In this role, Brooks will drive retailers’ efforts to ensure a fair and competitive tax code. She will play an integral role in advocating for the retail industry in Congress and as regulators draft and finalize rules to enforce the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
Brooks joins RILA from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) where she represented business owners in every congressional district and state. Prior to NFIB, she worked at the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association and spent six years on Capitol Hill in legislative roles with Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rep. Tom Rice.
Retail
Walmart
Walmart Inc. announced its chief merchandising officer, Charles Redfield, is stepping down after a year in the role. Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner issued a memo to Walmart associates stating Redfield would leave the position but take on an advisory role supporting the U.S. business, effective May 1, citing the decision to leave was because the 32-year veteran of the mass retailer wanted to spend more time with his family. A successor has not yet been named.
