Diversity & Inclusion

The Coca-Cola Company’s board of directors has named Ed Steinike as a senior VP and Robert J. Jordan Jr. as a VP. Jordan will succeed William D. Hawkins III as general tax counsel, who announced his intention to retire in March 2014 after 15 years of service with the company.

So far 20 states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws permitting and regulating the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Colorado and Washington have gone further and legalized the recreational use of marijuana. Moreover, Americans’ tolerance for the legalization of marijuana is increasing. An October 2013 Gallup poll showed that 58% of Americans favor legalizing marijuana.

What does this trend mean for retailers, especially those operating in multiple states? The answer is complex, as the law is evolving.

Wolverine Worldwide has appointed Gina R. Boswell to the company's board of directors.

Boswell is EVP, personal care, for global food, personal care and household products company Unilever. She has held numerous senior leadership positions with other leading global companies, including Avon Products, Ford Motor Company and Estée Lauder Companies.

Vancouver, British Columbia -- Lululemon Athletica Inc. on Tuesday named Laurent Potdevin as CEO, and also announced founder Chip Wilson will step down as non-executive chairman. Potdevin, most recently president of Toms Shoes, will replace Lululemon’s current CEO, Christine Day, in January, and will also become a director at that time. Prior to Toms, he served as president and CEO of Burton Snowboards from 2005 – 2010.

Currently president and CEO of Walmart's Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Canada region, David Cheesewright has been promoted to president and CEO of Walmart International, the company's second largest operating segment.

Cheesewright will report to Doug McMillon, who was tapped to succeed Mike Duke as the company's president and CEO. Both assume their new roles Feb. 1, 2014. Cheesewright's successor will be named at a later date.

The American Wholesale Marketers Association announced that sociologist and women's work expert Marianne Cooper will be the keynote speaker at the AWMA Women's Leadership Initiative Kickoff Breakfast, to be held on Feb. 27 at the 2014 AWMA Marketplace and Solutions Expo in Las Vegas.

Michael Jeffries is still CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch. The company has renewed Jeffries’ employment agreement for a second time, with this latest restructured agreement taking effect Feb. 1, 2014, when Jeffries' current agreement expires.

Stanley Black & Decker has added Debra Crew, president of PepsiCo Americas Beverages, to its board of directors. Crew joined PepsiCo in 2010 as president of the western region of PepsiCo Europe, and was promoted in 2012.

Prior to PepsiCo, she held a number of management and leadership roles at Mars, Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream and Kraft Foods.

The Clarks Group, the company behind the Clarks and Bostonian brands that sells more than 50 million pairs of shoes annually, has named a new chairman.

The privately held United Kingdom-based company, which operates specialty footwear stores in the U.S. and worldwide, elevated Thomas O’Neill to the role of chairman from his position as a non-executive director on the board. He fills a position previously held by Peter Davies to lead the world’s number one non-athletic footwear brand with annual sales of roughly $2.4 billion and a presence in 100 markets.

Newell Rubbermaid has named Paula S. Larson as EVP and chief human resources officer, effective Dec. 16. She succeeds James M. Sweet, who is retiring after nearly a decade of leading the company’s transformation efforts.