Shuffle Board: Under Armour Nabs 30-Year Gap Inc. Exec, Renewcell Replaces CEO
Ross Stores
Ross Stores named Stephen Brinkley to the newly created role of president of operations, effective Oct. 30. He will be responsible for property development, stores and supply chain. Most recently, Brinkley was president of SporkChek, a subsidiary of Canada’s largest retailer of sporting goods, footwear and apparel. He brings more than 25 years of experience in operational and general management experience, including roles at Save A Lot, Target and Circuit City.
Retail
Walmart
Walmart has named Rina Hurst as vice president of Walmart GoLocal, Walmart’s delivery service platform. Hurst will be responsible for the strategic direction, operations and general management of Walmart GoLocal as it continues to scale. She joins the company from Shipt, where she served as chief business officer.
More from Sourcing Journal
Dollar General
Dollar General Corporation announced Todd Vasos, current board member and former chief executive officer, has been appointed CEO, effective immediately. Vasos, who previously served as the company’s CEO from June 2015 through Nov. 2022, has agreed to return to lead Dollar General for the foreseeable future. He will remain a member of the board of directors, a role held since 2015. Vasos succeeds Jeff Owen, whose separation from the company and resignation from the board is also effective immediately.
Brands
Under Armour
Under Armour hired retail industry veteran Shawn Curran as chief supply chain officer, reporting to president and CEO, Stephanie Linnartz, effective Oct. 16. Curran has spent his 30-plus career at Gap Inc., where he most recently served as Old Navy’s chief operating officer. Curran will oversee end-to-end planning and go-to-market, product sourcing, manufacturing and quality, global vendor base management, distribution and logistics, global customs and trade, warehousing and sustainability.
Asics
Asics North America announced that Koichiro Kodama will return to Asics North America as president and CEO, and remain managing executive officer in Asics headquarters, effective immediately. He will oversee all facets of Asics’ business and operations in the North American region, which includes Canada, Mexico, and the U.S., for performance running, sports style, apparel and accessories and core performance sports.
A seasoned industry leader with three decades of experience, Kodama joined Asics in 2016. He was named managing executive officer based at Asics headquarters in Kobe, Japan in January 2021, overseeing geography strategy, retail, global subsidiaries and crisis management, among other areas. Prior to that, he was CEO of Asics North America from February 2019 until December 2020.
Technology
Lectra
Technology solutions company Lectra appointed Anne Borfiga to the position of general secretary and she will also join the group’s executive committee. In addition to her duties as secretary to Lectra’s board of directors, Borfiga will act as the corporate social responsibility (CSR) liaison and will be responsible for human resources, IT, legal and facility management. She will lead the implementation of “The Lectra Way,” a set of values and managerial practices that embody the corporate culture the company wants to promote as well as implementing the double materiality approach, which aims to balance the company’s societal and environmental sustainability objectives with its financial performance.
Matternet
Urban drone delivery systems developer Matternet has named Will Urban as senior advisor, effective immediately. He joins the company from Flexport, where he served as chief revenue officer. In this role, Urban will drive strategic business development initiatives as a senior advisor to Andreas Raptopoulos, founder and CEO of Matternet, and the full management team.
Textiles
Renewcell
Swedish textile recycler Renewcell appointed Magnus Håkansson as the new acting CEO, effective immediately, to replace Patrik Lundström, who has been CEO since 2019. Renewcell continues to search for a permanent CEO as well.
Kraig Biocraft Laboratories
Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, the biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of spider silk, hired key scientists from the University of Notre Dame (UND) spider silk research lab following the retirement of Dr. Malcolm Fraser. Integrating members from the UND spider silk research program into Kraig Labs’ R&D operations strengthens the company’s expertise and leading role in commercializing cost-effective and responsible spider silk manufacturing.
HeiQ
Textile and material innovation company HeiQ named Robert Liu as general manager of HeiQ China. He will lead the company’s business operations in this key market. Liu has over 25 years of experience in the international textile and paper chemical industry. He held regional and global roles in Thailand, Switzerland and Singapore, having also served as head of Archroma Chemicals (China) and as a legal representative of the company. Liu replaces Celine Huang, who led HeiQ China since 2019.
