Gymboree loses COO to Sears

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings has tapped a Gymboree exec as president.

Sears announced that Joelle Maher has joined the company as president and chief member officer for the Sears format. Maher will be responsible for developing Shop Your Way’s business strategy for the Sears format, and aligning merchandising, marketing, pricing and selling with customer needs.



Maher comes to Sears Holdings from Gymboree Corporation, where she served as COO and was responsible for leading all operational aspects of the company, including stores, planning and allocation, real estate and construction, international, distribution and logistics, operational process and strategy, and information technology.



Prior to Gymboree, Maher spent seven years at Levi Strauss & Company in various senior leadership roles including serving as executive VP and president, global multichannel retail. She also worked at Lucky Brand Jeans for seven years, and began her career in merchandising and planning roles at Old Navy, Macy's East and Lord & Taylor.



“Joelle’s depth and breadth of retail and business experience and ability to achieve superior results in established organizations make her a strong fit for this member-focused role at Sears Holdings,” said Edward S. Lampert, Sears Holdings chairman and CEO. “She will work closely with me and our business unit leaders to lead our iconic Sears brand in its continued transformation as an integrated retail format.”