C-Suite Moves: February update
Here are the major C-suite changes that occurred in February, in the order they were announced. (All changes have already taken effect unless otherwise noted.)
•Women’s apparel retailer J.Jill named Mary Ellen Coyne as CEO and president, effective May 1, 2025. She will suceed Claire Spofford, who previously announced her intent to retire at the end of April..
•Brandon Waters has been promoted to chief information officer at Books-A-Million. He joined the company in 2024 as senior VP of IT.
•Ross Stores said that Adam Orvos will retire as executive VP and CFO, effective Sept. 30. William Sheehan, currently group senior VP of finance, has been promoted to deputy CFO, and is expected to succeed Orvos as CFO on Oct. 1.
•Greg Cox was promoted to CFO of Lids Sports Group. Most recently, he served as senior VP of finance for the past year, and was previously VP of finance.
•The Michaels Companies ended its search for a new chief executive, naming David Boone as CEO. Boone replaced Ashley Buchanan, who stepped down in January to take the top job at Kohl's. From 2018 to March 2024, Boone served as CEO of Staples Canada.
•Petco Health and Wellness Company named three new leaders to join its leadership team. Sabrina Simmons, former CFO at Gap Inc. was appointed CFO; Michael Romanko, former chief merchandising and marketing officer at Five Below, was named chief customer and product officer; and. Jack Stout, former executive VP and chief merchandising officer at 7-Eleven, was named chief merchandising officer.
•Rite Aid appointed Bryant Harris as chief merchandising officer. He joined the chain from Wakefern Food Corporation, where he served as chief merchandising officer for nearly five years. He also spent 15 years in various roles at Sam’s Club.
Steve Bratspies will depart as HanesBrands CEO and board member at the end of 2025, or upon the appointment of his successor. He has served in the role since 2020.
•Levi Strauss & Co. said that COO Liz O’Neill plans to retire after nearly 12 years. The COO role will be replaced with a new chief supply chain officer, who will be responsible for supply chain agility, improving service levels, fostering innovation and optimizing cost structure. Also, Bernard Bedon has been appointed as Levi’s chief human resources officer. He joins the company from Nike, where he most recently served as lead human resources business partner (HRBP) for the company.
John Eck has stepped down as CEO of Mattress Firm. The news comes one week after Tempur Sealy International completed its acquisition of Mattress Firm Group Inc. Scott Thompson, chairman and CEO of Tempur Sealy, will act as interim CEO of Mattress Firm during a transition period.
•The Kroger Co. tapped David Kennerley, formerly senior VP and CFO for PepsiCo Europe, as senior VP and CFO, effective April 3. He will succeed Todd Foley in the role at the supermarket giant. Kennerley joined Kroger on March 10 as senior VP while Foley continues as interim CFO through the end of Kroger's fiscal year 2024 reporting cycle before retiring.
•Wolverine World Wide veteran Brett Parent has been named to the newly created role of chief strategy officer. Most recently, he served as VP of strategy of the company.
•Tailored Brands, the parent company of Men's Wearhouse, Jos. A. Bank, Moores and K&G Fashion Superstore, appointed Whit Alexander as executive VP and chief customer office. He joined from McKinsey & Company where has been a partner since 2023. Prior to that, he spent six years at Best Buy.
Phoenix, which operates Express and Bonobos, appointed Greg Scott as CEO, overseeing retail stores and e-commerce for both brands. Scott has more than 30 years in the fashion industry, including serving as CEO of New York & Company and chief merchandising officer of Fashion Nova.
•Barbie Cameron has been named chief stores officer of Macy’s. The company veteran most recently served as the senior VP and regional director of stores, East Region, and had served as interim chief stores officer since August of 2024.
Fossil Group named Joe Martin as chief commercial officer, and Antonio Carriero as chief digital information officer and general manager of its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) operations.
•Brian Costello was named chief merchandising offer of Famous Footwear. He joins the company from Nordstrom, where he served in several roles over nearly 15 years.
- Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Holdings welcomed Eric Van der Valk as president and CEO, succeeding John Swygert, who has transitioned to the role of executive chairman. Prior to joining Ollie’s as COO in 2021, he served as president and COO of Christmas Tree Shops.
