Paper Source exec to head up Forever 21
Forever 21 has a new leader.
The fast-fashion retailer appointed Winnie Park as CEO, effective immediately. She succeeds Daniel Kulle, the former H&M executive who resigned in October after less than two years on the job.
Park joins Forever 21 from Paper Source, where she served as CEO for the past six years. She is credited with transforming the company from a brick-and-mortar retailer to a lifestyle brand with a robust digital platform. She also led the sale of the brand to an affiliate of Barnes & Noble.
[Read More: Paper Source to be acquired by Barnes & Noble parent company]
At Forever 21, Park will report to Marc Miller, CEO of SPARC, the joint venture between Authentic Brands Group and Simon Property Group which, together with Brookfield Property Partners, bought Forever 21 out of bankruptcy in February of 2020. The retailer has more than 540 locations worldwide.
“We are thrilled to have Winnie join the Forever 21 team,” said Miller. “She is an inspirational leader and team builder who brings deep omnichannel experience and a track record of successfully growing businesses with particular strengths in strategy, merchandising, marketing and branding. As CEO, Winnie will add fresh perspective and approaches in connecting with the Forever 21 customer which will help drive Forever 21 from its current $2 billion sales level to new heights of success as a leading brand in SPARC's Fashion and Lifestyle brand portfolio.”
Prior to Paper Source, Park held executive roles across e-commerce, global marketing, and fashion merchandising including a nine-year tenure at Hong Kong-based international luxury retailer DFS, a division of LVMH. At DFS, she was responsible for launching the company's first global e-commerce site for fashion, beauty, watch/jewelry, and spirits serving customers across China, Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia, Europe, the Middle East.
Park her career at McKinsey & Company San Francisco in fashion retail and consumer digital before joining Levi Strauss and company to lead women's merchandising for Dockers.
"As a longtime shopper and admirer of the brand, I am honored to join Forever 21 at such a pivotal time of reinvention and reinvigoration," Park said. "I am looking forward to partnering with this exceptional leadership team to continue the transformation of this brand with a focus on the Forever 21 community including its people, purpose and business priorities across digital and traditional retail channels."
Park currently is on the board and audit committee of Dollar Tree, and is on the board for Women in Retail Leadership. She has also served as an independent board director and member of the compensation and governance and audit committees for Express.