C-Suite Moves: January update
Here’s a look at the major C-suite appointments that occurred during the month of January (listed in the order they were announced).
•Cassandra “Sandra” Harris, the CFO of footwear giant Genesco Inc., is stepping down, effective March 6. Genesco CEO Mimi E. Vaughn will assume the role of interim CFO while the company searches for a permanent CFO.
•Canadian high-performance outerwear brand Arc’teryx named Avery Baker as its first-ever chief brand officer. She spent nearly 25 years at Tommy Hilfiger from 1998 to 2023, mostly recently serving as the president and chief brand officer at Tommy Hilfiger Global.
•Jack Calandra, CFO of Caleres, the parent company of Famous Footwear and other footwear brands, has left the company. Dan Karpel, senior VP and chief accounting officer, was appointed interim CFO.
•Joel Rampoldt stepped down as CEO of discount grocer Lidl U.S., moving into an advisory role with the German-owned company. Marco Giudici, chief customer officer of Lidl U.S., has been appointed as interim CEO.
•Walmart Inc. named eight-year company veteran David Guggina as president and CEO of Walmart U.S., succeeding John Furner, who took the reins of the company on Feb. 1.
In other changes, Chris Nicholas, president and CEO of Sam’s Club U.S., will succeed Kathryn McLay as president and CEO of Walmart International. And Latriece Watkins, executive VP and chief merchandising officer for Walmart U.S., is being named president and CEO of Sam’s Club U.S.
•Convenience chain Yesway named Robert Hampton as chief technology officer. He joins Yesway following nearly a decade with convenience and fuel retailer Jacksons Companies, where he served as chief information officer and VP of technology solutions & innovation.
•Saks Global Holdings named Geoffroy Van Raemdonck, who led Neiman Marcus Group prior to its acquisition by Saks in 2024, as CEO. The move came as the luxury company filed for bankruptcy. He succeeds Richard Baker, who exited as executive chairman and CEO of Saks Global. Baker was named CEO in early January after former Saks Global CEO Marc Metrick agreed to step down.
•Outdoor lifestyle retailer L.L.Bean named company veteran Greg Elder as its next CEO. He will succeed Stephen Smith, who plans to step down as president and CEO of the company in the spring.
•West Coast grocery chain The Save Mart Companies promoted Jim Perkins to CEO. Perkins, who has served as the president of the company since 2024, succeeds Shane Sampson, who has retired.
•Chris Blakeslee was tapped as CEO of jewelry and lifestyle brand Kendra Scott. He succeeds company founder Kendra Scott, who has served in the role in an interim basis since the departure of Tom Nolan in August. Blakeslee joins Kendra Scott from Gap Inc.’s athleticwear brand Athleta, where he served as president and CEO since August 2023.
•Kacey Sharrett was named chief digital officer of Hanna Andersson. Most recently, she served as head of direct to consumer at GoPro for more than two years.
•The executive chairman of Bed Bath & Beyond Inc., Marcus Lemonis, took on the additional role of CEO. Lemonis stepped down as CEO of Camping World on Jan. 1, after more than two decades at the helm.
