The latest HR moves made by leading textile and apparel companies.
Retail
Bergdorf Goodman
Exemplar Luxury Group has named Lanessa Elrod president of Bergdorf Goodman, effective Nov. 2. The former Louis Vuitton Americas president and CEO returns to a retailer where she held merchandising roles earlier in her career.
Elrod will also join Exemplar Luxury Group’s management team. Tracy Margolies is moving into an executive adviser role at the group, reporting to CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck.
At Louis Vuitton Americas, Elrod oversaw the business across the U.S., Canada and Latin America. Her earlier merchandising experience spans all three Exemplar banners: Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman.
“I am thrilled to be joining Exemplar Luxury Group at this pivotal time. Bergdorf Goodman played a defining role in my career, so returning as President is especially meaningful,” Elrod said.
Her responsibilities will include developing Bergdorf Goodman’s customer experience, service and assortment. The New York retailer marks its 125th anniversary this year.
The RealReal
The RealReal has appointed Alexis Hoopes chief merchandising officer, recruiting the executive who led eBay’s $10 billion global fashion business.
Hoopes will oversee merchandising strategy at the San Francisco-based luxury resale company, including its assortment, personalized product discovery and efforts to develop new sources of supply.
As vice president and general manager of global fashion at eBay, she led teams across the U.S., U.K. and Europe. Her work included expanding the company’s Authenticity Guarantee program into additional categories, price points and international markets, developing cross-border luxury trade between Asia and the U.S. and establishing resale-as-a-service partnerships with brands and retailers.
Previously, Hoopes was senior vice president of e-commerce at Mattel, where she built its direct-to-consumer business, launched two digital commerce platforms and integrated American Girl’s e-commerce operations. She also spent nearly 15 years at Nordstrom in merchandising, strategy, e-commerce and planning roles.
“The opportunity to combine luxury products, deep proprietary data and emerging technologies to create a more personalized shopping experience is incredibly compelling,” Hoopes said. “I’m excited to work with the team to expand our assortment, unlock new sources of supply and help shape the future of luxury resale.”
Kohl’s
Kohl’s has appointed Stacy Taffet, chief growth and marketing officer at The Hershey Company, to its board as an independent director.
Taffet will initially serve on the audit committee. Her term runs through the retailer’s 2027 annual shareholders’ meeting, when she is expected to stand for election. The appointment brings the board to nine directors, eight of whom are independent.
Taffet started in marketing at American Express before spending 15 years at PepsiCo, where she served as senior vice president of beverage portfolio strategy and marketing. She moved to Hershey in April 2025, overseeing growth and marketing across its snacks portfolio as chief growth and marketing officer.
“She has a strong focus on putting the customer at the center of key decisions and strategies,” Kohl’s board chair Wendy Arlin said. “She will be an excellent addition to our Board as we continue to work with Kohl’s leadership team to drive transformation at Kohl’s and create value for our shareholders.”
Brands
MSCHF
MSCHF co-founder and founding chief creative officer Lukas Bentel has left the Brooklyn-based art collective after seven years to pursue independent art and design work.
Bentel co-founded MSCHF in 2019. His work there included Big Red Boot, Satan Shoes with Lil Nas X and Microscopic Handbag, among nearly 300 released projects spanning footwear, fashion, sculpture, software, furniture and other categories, according to the announcement.
During his tenure, the collective collaborated with brands including Reebok, Crocs, Tiffany and Gufram. Its work was also documented in the 2025 Phaidon book “Made by MSCHF.”
“I am enormously grateful and proud of the MSCHF team and what we created together, it was an enormous collective effort,” Bentel said. “We moved athletically at MSCHF, but we were designing stories that last. That’s where I want to get back to: making art that stays with people long after the moment has passed.”
Bentel is pursuing solo art projects, commissioned design and commercial work, including projects with his brother, artist and designer Nik Bentel.
Carter’s
Carter’s is reorganizing its leadership team, hiring H&M executive Maria Gemzell as chief product officer and combining oversight of its North American retail and wholesale businesses under Allison Peterson.
The children’s apparel company is also searching for a standalone chief operating officer. Richard Westenberger, who currently holds both the CFO and COO titles, will remain chief financial officer.
Gemzell is expected to join in early 2027 to lead design, merchandising, licensing and product development. She comes from H&M’s Stockholm headquarters, where she oversaw strategic and new product initiatives.
Peterson, who joined Carter’s in 2024, has been appointed chief commercial officer in the newly created role. She will oversee retail and wholesale operations across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Chief sales officer Julie D’Emilio is retiring after 20 years with the company and will serve as an adviser through year-end.
Carter’s is also expanding chief strategy and business development officer Emily Evert’s responsibilities to include a unified global consumer insights function and its international business. Sarah Crockett, who joined in 2025, has been named chief brand officer.
“Today we announced key changes to our leadership structure to better connect our businesses, strengthen accountability, and advance our growth strategy,” said Sharon Price John, who joined Carter’s as president and CEO in June.
Separately, chief supply chain officer Karen Smith plans to retire in March 2027, having notified Carter’s in February. She will stay on until then, ending a nearly five-year tenure with the company and a career spanning 35-plus years in apparel.
Oofos
Oofos has appointed Scott Schiffres chief financial officer and added Tom George and David A. Pace to its board of directors.
Schiffres succeeds George, who served as interim CFO and will remain with the recovery footwear company as a director and audit committee member.
Schiffres most recently served as CFO and interim general manager of Tea Forté, with responsibilities across finance, commercial operations and supply chain. He previously held CFO and senior finance roles at Heineken and served as CFO and chief operating officer of Unreal Candy. He began his career at Unilever.
“I’ve always been most energized working for brands that I believe in, and OOFOS is a brand that resonates with me, as both an executive and a consumer,” Schiffres said.
George’s more than 40 years of executive experience includes CFO positions at Oakley, Deckers Brands and Genesco.
Pace spent nearly two decades at Reebok, where he served as senior vice president and general counsel and previously led sports marketing. His work included the company’s exclusive NFL and NBA licensing agreements, the development of its sports licensing business and its merger with Adidas. He subsequently founded advisory firm Pace Sports.
Technology
Sayari
Sayari has promoted Jenal Embry to its first chief revenue officer, bringing its commercial and government sales operations and revenue marketing under one leader.
Embry will oversee sales pipeline development, sales, customer success and retention at the economic security and commercial risk technology company.
She joined Sayari in 2022 and most recently served as general manager of its commercial business. That division grew to represent more than half of the company’s annual recurring revenue under her leadership, according to Sayari.
Before joining the company, Embry spent four years as an area vice president at UiPath, working across robotic process automation, artificial intelligence and natural language processing. She previously spent 18 years at Dun & Bradstreet, most recently as area vice president of its supply and compliance business.
“Sayari’s job is to show government and commercial customers how to protect their business with answers they can trace to a source,” Embry said.
Sayari’s platform uses corporate and other primary-source records to help customers investigate supply chains, sanctions evasion and forced labor risks. Its users include U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.K.’s HM Revenue & Customs.
TrueCommerce
TrueCommerce has appointed John Schilsky chief financial officer and Jonathan Bedford managing director of Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Schilsky will lead the supply chain technology provider’s global finance organization, reporting to CEO Bill Glass. He joins from cybersecurity company Critical Start, where he served as CFO, and brings more than 20 years of experience as a technology company finance chief.
Bedford joins from business software company ClearCourse, where he was chief operating officer. He will oversee sales, customer success and partner relationships acrosss TrueCommerce’s U.K., Nordic and European operations.
His more than 25 years in business-to-business software and commercial leadership includes over a decade in business integration and electronic data interchange, the systems companies use to exchange documents such as orders and invoices.
“Suppliers here face tighter retailer requirements, mounting cross-border complexity and less room for error,” Bedford said.
The appointments follow TrueCommerce’s additions of Anthony Gallo as chief product officer and Sean Flynn as chief revenue officer over the past year. The company says its network processes 600 million transactions annually across more than 40 countries and is adding AI and automation to its existing supply chain workflows.
Chainsight
Supply chain consultancy Chainsight has named Tom Lin as managing partner of data and AI.
Lin will lead the development and expansion of the practice, working with manufacturers, distributors and retailers on data infrastructure, analytics and AI applications. Its focus includes demand forecasting, inventory management, supplier intelligence and business planning.
He most recently served as senior vice president of consulting at Wavicle Data Solutions, where he led practices serving manufacturing and distribution customers. He brings more than 25 years of experience in enterprise data systems, analytics and AI.
“What drew me to Chainsight is its team’s real, hands-on supply chain expertise. Pairing that with modern data and AI capabilities lets us help clients make better decisions and see tangible value from their investments,” Lin said.
Organizations
Leather Working Group
Leather Working Group has appointed Christina Raab CEO, effective Nov. 2. She most recently served as president and CEO of the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.
Raab will work alongside outgoing executive director Vanessa Podmore and interim director Adam Hughes during a transition period before Podmore’s departure at the end of the year.
At the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, Raab worked to expand the adoption of safe, circular and responsibly made products and materials. She previously led global implementation and market transformation at ZDHC and held leadership positions at sustainability advisory firms.
“I have long admired the scientific rigor and technical expertise of LWG, and the commitment of its global community to advancing a more responsible leather industry,” Raab said. “I am delighted to join the organization at such a crucial time in its evolution, when credible standards, robust assurance, and measurable action are more important than ever.”
The nonprofit, which develops standards and certification for leather manufacturing, is preparing to launch its new Sustainability System in 2027. It counts more than 600 brand members and more than 2,200 certified suppliers across over 60 countries.
American Trucking Associations
The American Trucking Associations has elected Werner Enterprises chairman and CEO Derek Leathers chairman of its board for a one-year term running through October 2027.
Leathers succeeds Greg Hodgen. He will work with incoming ATA president and CEO Mark Colson and state trucking associations on federal and state freight policy.
Leathers has more than 30 years of transportation experience, including over 25 years at Werner. His priorities as ATA chairman include highway safety and uniform regulatory enforcement, truck parking and infrastructure, driver support and changes to litigation practices the association considers abusive.
“As ATA Chairman, I am honored to champion those same principles on Capitol Hill and across the country, advocating for policies that protect compliant carriers, empower our skilled workforce and keep America’s supply chain moving safely and efficiently,” Leathers said.
He was elected during the association’s Management Conference & Exhibition.
Logistics
ShipMonk
ShipMonk has hired Todd Bills as chief operating officer to oversee its fulfillment centers and transportation operations.
Bills brings 30 years of supply chain and operations experience, most recently as chief logistics and supply chain officer at NationsBenefits and an adviser to supply chain intelligence platform ProfitOps.
He previously spent more than four years at ShipBob, first as senior vice president of supply chain and then as chief logistics officer. Earlier, he oversaw Wayfair’s middle-mile network and served as COO of international package consolidation company MyUS.com.
At electronics distributor Digi-Key, Bills was vice president of order fulfillment and logistics, leading a global supply chain serving 170 countries. He also spent nearly eight years in general management roles at Target.
“Our own teams run every fulfillment center using our proprietary technology and processes here at ShipMonk. That end-to-end ownership is a key reason I joined the company,” Bills said.
ShipMonk’s network covers approximately 3 million square feet across North America, the U.K. and Europe. This year’s openings include a second fulfillment center in Louisville, a 406,000-square-foot facility designed for apparel.
Manufacturing
The Nearshore Company
The Nearshore Company has appointed Augusto Alvarez chief corporate officer, overseeing legal affairs, finance, import and export compliance, technology and human resources.
Alvarez will also serve as lead counsel for the Brownsville, Texas-based business, which helps manufacturers establish and run operations in Mexico through contract manufacturing and shelter services.
His background includes eight years practicing mergers and acquisitions and finance law, as well as work in investment banking. In 2008, he co-founded a financial technology company that expanded into Mexico and Colombia. He later founded Atlanga, a consultancy advising businesses on financial and operational matters.
Alvarez holds a law degree from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
“Mexico’s geography, workforce, and established manufacturing ecosystem have long made it one of the most compelling industrial destinations in the world,” Alvarez said. “TNC has spent more than 30 years helping manufacturers tap into that potential by eliminating the legal and operational complexities of starting operations on new soil, and I look forward to continuing that legacy as chief corporate officer.”
