Diversity & Inclusion

Quick-service restaurant chain Quiznos has promoted global chief marketing officer Susan Lintonsmith as its new CEO.   Joining Quiznos as chief marketing officer in 2012, Lintonsmith was instrumental in opening the China market and leading the opening of the Quiznos Grill premium sandwich concept. Previous roles in her more than 25-year career include serving as a consultant to Einstein Noah Restaurant Group and as chief marketing officer of Red Robin Gourmet Burgers.  

Target Corp. has named Don Liu as executive VP, chief legal officer and general counsel, effective Aug. 22, 2016.   Liu will oversee all legal, corporate governance and government affairs matters for the company. He will report to chairman and CEO Brian Cornell and serve as a member of Target’s leadership team.  

Walmart’s Lifelong Learning Program is getting a boost from a new partnership with educational technology and services company Cengage Learning.  

DLC Management announced several promotions within its national leasing team, chief among them the naming of Chris Ressa as senior VP of the department.   A one-time Sherwin Williams real estate rep, Ressa joined DLC as a leasing rep in 2007 and rose through the ranks to become VP of the Midwest region and senior VP of the Northeast/Midwest region before being put in charge of nationwide leasing for this major owner and operator of open-air shopping centers.  

The end of summer is often a sad time, but workers at U.S. Starbucks stores have more to look forward to with the coming of autumn than football and the changing of leaf colors.   Effective Oct. 3, 2016, the coffee retailer is giving all employees and managers in U.S. company-operated stores an increase in base pay of 5% or greater. The range of increase will be determined by geographic and market factors.  

Staples Inc.is looking north of the border for an executive to lead its North American operations.   The office supply giant is promoting Steve Matyas to president of North American retail. Matyas had previously served as president of Staples Canada/Bureau en Gros since July 2000, and will continue to serve as a member of the company’s executive committee.  

Today, when it comes to adding new members to your board of directors, creating a balance between industry experience and innovation is extraordinarily important. Filling board seats with industry veterans and compliance experts may feel comfortable in the short term, but to adapt to today’s savvy and demanding consumer, companies must be more forward thinking.

We’ve all witnessed the recent evolution of the C-suite — companies bringing in new, young talent, often from other industries, to modernize a brand, enhance the store experience or to leverage technology.

A job fair held in New York this week attracted veterans and their family members looking to fill retail positions at the Westfield World Trade Center mall set to open in August. Some 5,000 attended to apply for some 10,000 positions expected to open there and at Fulton Center in the two months.