The latest HR moves made by leading textile and apparel companies.
Brands
J.Crew
J.Crew Group—the parent company of J.Crew and Madewell—has tapped Dyson’s former global president of beauty, Kathleen Van Nest Pierce, to fill its newly created role of president of the J.Crew brand. When Pierce joins J.Crew on Aug. 4, she will report to the group’s CEO Libby Wadle.
At Dyson, Pierce helped bring the technology company into new categories. In a mere two-year stretch, the brand debuted 27 products. Prior to her four-year tenure at Dyson Beauty, Pierce was at the Estée Lauder Companies.
In her new role at J.Crew, Pierce will head up the brand’s merchandising, design, marketing and retail functions.
“J.Crew has always stood for authenticity and designed around an American sensibility that has resonated with customers for generations,” said Wadle. “Kathleen’s rare combination of brand vision, operational excellence and track record of driving global growth is exactly what this moment calls for.”
On
As sportswear brand On Holding AG prepares for current chief commercial officer Britt Olsen’s exit in September, it is updating its commercial leadership structure, dividing oversight between two roles.
Rebecca Cai has been promoted to chief global markets officer. In her new role, effective Sept. 1, she will oversee the APAC, EMEA and Americas regions as well as the company’s global commercial teams. Cai has been at On for six years, and she is currently general manager of APAC.
On has also appointed Alice Delahunt as chief customer officer. Delahunt’s career has included roles at Ralph Lauren and Burberry as well as a board position at Zalando.
“Alice and Rebecca will play a pivotal role in strengthening our ambition to become premium at every touchpoint alongside their world-class teams,” said Scott Maguire, president and chief operating officer at On. “They will work closely with our product, marketing and supply chain leadership to define what success looks like and further simplify our operating model.”
Tory Burch
Tory Burch has named Klitos Teklos its first chief brand officer. The newly created position encompasses brand strategy and image across touchpoints including visual merchandising, marketing and social media.
Teklos is reporting to the brand’s namesake Burch, who is executive chairman and chief creative officer, as well as CEO Pierre-Yves Roussel. He will also work with the brand’s creative director Honor Brodie.
Teklos is a self-described “multidisciplinary brand architect,” and prior to joining Tory Burch, he ran an eponymous consultancy that worked with brands across beauty, fashion, jewelry, hospitality, media and food and beverage.
Manufacturing
Surewerx
Personal protective equipment maker Surewerx has named Erik Pertot vice president and general manager of Surewerx EMEA. In his new role, he will focus on growing the European region, including mergers and acquisitions.
Pertot comes to Surewerx from Protective Industrial Products (PIP), where he was most recently global general manager for footwear and fall protection. His 20-year career also included a roughly decade-long tenure at Honeywell Safety Products.
Sustainability
GRI
The GRI Stakeholder Council, which acts as an advisor for sustainability reporting standard GRI’s supervisory board, management board and the Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB), has made two new appointments.
Louis Coppola has been named chair of the council. Coppola is co-founder of the Governance & Accountability Institute, a New York-based consulting firm focused on ESG.
Also joining the council is newly named vice chair Adekemi Adisa. She is also general manager sustainability and shared value at telecommunications provider MTN Nigeria Communications PLC.
GRI is currently in the process of recruiting for its governance bodies, with applications closing Aug. 2. The council will have between 15 and 30 members.
“It’s an honor to step into the role of chair of the GRI Stakeholder Council at such a consequential moment for sustainability reporting globally,” said Coppola. “As reporting frameworks become increasingly connected and organizations seek to report once and meet multiple requirements, the council plays an important role in ensuring diverse stakeholder perspectives shape GRI’s future.”
Technology
XY Retail
Software platform XY Retail has named Vivek Veeramani vice president, ecosystem and delivery to support its expanding customer and partner bases.
Veeramani has more than 25 years of experience across sectors including technology, consulting, operations and product. His resume includes experience at ThoughtWorks, GoTo Group, Quess Corp, Nivoda and Technogise.
“As we enter our next stage of global growth, our success depends not only on the strength of our platform but on the strength of the ecosystem around it,” said Susan Jeffers, CEO, XY Retail. “Vivek brings the operational discipline and partnership mindset to scale that ecosystem, ensuring our partners become an extension of how we deliver value to customers around the world.”
Diginex
Regulatory technology firm Diginex has appointed Jan-Jaap Verhoeve chief commercial officer, a role that will see him oversee the company’s revenue strategy.
Part of Verhoeve’s focus will be ensuring that products match demand, looking at insights such as customer feedback. He will work across both direct and indirect sales, including those from integrations and reselling. Additionally, he will advise on mergers and acquisitions and support the company as it expands to new geographies and adds customers.
Verhoeve was most recently at carbon accounting software Plan A, which was acquired by Diginex in January, and he is co-founder of the sustainability network Greentech Alliance.
“Jan-Jaap brings an exceptional combination of commercial leadership, enterprise software expertise and a proven ability to build and scale global partner ecosystems,” said Lubomila Jordanova, CEO of Diginex. “His mandate is clear: to accelerate revenue growth, deepen our reseller and strategic partnership channels, and ensure that our commercial strategy translates market demand into disciplined execution and long-term value creation for our customers and shareholders.”
Trade Events
Fashion by Informa
Emilie Lewis is joining Fashion by Informa as vice president of events, heading up the trade event organizer’s shows in Las Vegas and Nashville. This includes the event brands Magic, Project and Offprice.
For Lewis, this is a return to Informa Markets. Early in her career, she helped to grow the Coterie platform. Her over 20-year career has included roles at event management firms Emerald Holdings and Reed Exhibitions as well as real estate management firm Brookfield Properties and the personal care brand Seacret Beauty.
“Emilie brings an exceptional combination of strategic leadership and market expertise to this role,” said Simon Ferguson, executive vice president for Fashion by Informa. “Her success in building brands, scaling event portfolios and creating meaningful industry connections makes her uniquely positioned to lead our Las Vegas and Nashville events into their next chapter of growth.”
