Diversity & Inclusion

PITTSBURGH — The PNC Financial Services Group has appointed Andrew Feldstein to its board of directors. Feldstein is co-founder, CEO and chief investment officer of BlueMountain Capital Management, LLC.

"Mr. Feldstein brings a reputation for innovation and additional risk management expertise to the board," said PNC executive chairman James E. Rohr. "His vision and experience should benefit PNC as we seek to grow our business and further strengthen our balance sheet."

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Kid Brands, Inc. has appointed Jodie Simon Friedman as the company’s VP, general counsel and corporate secretary. She replaces Marc Goldfarb, who resigned his position as general counsel and corporate secretary to pursue other opportunities. 

Goldfarb has agreed to remain available to the company as a consultant providing legal services.

HERSHEY, Pa. — The Hershey Company has appointed Mary Kay Haben to its board of directors. 

“Mary Kay is a seasoned leader who brings a great wealth of relevant food and confectionery experience to her role as a member of the Hershey board,” said James Nevels, chairman of the board of directors. “She is an accomplished executive with extensive experience managing businesses in the consumer packaged goods industry and has an impressive track record in growing brands and developing new products.”

RACINE, Wis. — For the fourth year in a row, SC Johnson will be the major sponsor of the 11th annual free backpack giveaway at the mayor's back-to-school Stay-in-School festival Monday, Aug. 19, from 2-6 p.m. at Festival Park in Racine, Wis.

Students in grades K-12 will receive a free backpack filled with age-appropriate school supplies.

Albany, N.Y. -- Veteran retail executive Martin Hanaka has been appointed to the board of directors of Trans World Entertainment. Hanaka recently was the interim CEO of Guitar Center, Inc. from January 2013 to April 2013.

Deborah Cavanagh has joined women’s specialty retailer Coldwater Creek as SVP and chief marketing officer after serving in a similar capacity at the LOFT division of Ann Taylor.

Cavanagh will join the company September 16 and lead multi-channel brand marketing and creative services, reporting directly to Coldwater Creek president and CEO Jill Dean. Her appointment follows the release of disappointing first quarter results that saw same store sales at the operator of 347 stores decline 10.5%

Boca Raton, Fla. -- Office Depot is making a public offer to its largest shareholder, Starboard Value LLP, to settle a dispute about who should serve on its board of directors. In a press release, Office Depot said that if CEO Selection Committee members Tom Colligan and Marsha Evans are re-elected, the company would immediately invite to its board of directors any of the three Starboard nominees recommended by proxy advisory firms Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis who are not elected.

New York -- J.C. Penney Co. announced that activist investor and hedge fund manager Bill Ackman has resigned from the board of directors of the company, effective Aug. 12. His resignation comes in the wake of a very public and heated campaign in which he called for the ouster of Penney interim CEO Myron Ullman and chairman Thomas Engibous.

The field of candidates to serve as CEO of the merged Office Depot and OfficeMax has been narrowed to five with September set as the goal to have an executive in place to lead the $18 billion combined company.

In one of the stranger situations in retail right now, J.C. Penney is defending itself against charges by activist investor Bill Ackman that it’s not moving fast enough to hire a full time CEO and remedy a situation that Ackman created when the guy he picked nearly destroyed the company.