Coldwater Creek nabs LOFT exec to lead marketing

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%

"(Cavanagh) brings a tremendous amount of experience building and repositioning brands, as well as driving growth through a multi-channel business platform,” Dean said. “We look forward to the many contributions she will make leading our marketing efforts."

Previously, Cavanagh served as SVP brand marketing at LOFT, where she is credited with successfully repositioning LOFT as a fully differentiated brand from Ann Taylor Loft. Prior to LOFT, Cavanagh was the associate publisher, creative services at Vogue. She also held marketing roles at media brands such as Harper's Bazaar, Men's Health, Conde Nast Traveler, and SELF.

"I am excited to join Coldwater Creek and to be part of the revitalization of this brand,” Cavanagh said. “There is a meaningful opportunity to continue to reengage our core customers, and connect with new ones, through strategic and creative marketing campaigns. I look forward to working with the talented team at Coldwater Creek to create compelling and differentiated marketing campaigns to enhance brand awareness and customer loyalty."