Granoff leaves Claiborne to head Kenneth Cole

NEW YORK Liz Claiborne has announced that Jill Granoff, evp of direct brands, has resigned to become ceo of Kenneth Cole. In her role at Liz Claiborne, Granoff had responsibility for Juicy Couture and Lucky Brand Jeans, as well as the Outlet business across the company.

Commenting on the announcement, William McComb, ceo of Liz Claiborne said, "We have made a lot of progress towards the execution of our strategy over the last eight months, in particular by placing strong leaders in the multi-functional roles each of these companies requires to successfully expand its business. With the forthcoming announcement of a president for Juicy Couture, we are nearly complete in pairing talented designer/merchants with strong operators in each of the brands. This structure facilitates the entrepreneurial, brand-centric philosophy we are seeking to foster and allows these businesses to operate as mono-brands."