Former Talbots exec heads to the Wet Seal

FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. — The Wet Seal has appointed retail veteran Lesli Gilbert to the position of EVP, stores and operations. She replaces Barbara Cook, who resigned as the company's SVP of store operations in February.



“We are pleased to welcome Lesli and believe she is an ideal fit with Wet Seal’s business, brand positioning and organizational culture," said CEO John Goodman. "Lesli will take responsibility for leading our field organization and store teams, inspiring the vision and values of our Wet Seal and Arden B brands in stores and driving consistent execution. We look forward to her contributions as we continue to pursue our fast fashion strategies and position the business to achieve consistent, long-term growth.”



Most recently, Gilbert was SVP of stores at the Talbots, Inc., where she was responsible for developing the stores strategy and framework to reposition the business. Prior to Talbots, she held various general management positions with responsibility for leading sales, marketing, training and customer service with T-Mobile US and Gap. Earlier in her career, she held regional and district sales manager positions with Charlotte Russe, Discovery Channel, Sunglass Hut International and the Limited.



The Wet Seal operates 526 stores in 47 states and Puerto Rico, including 464 Wet Seal stores and 62 Arden B stores.