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31 August 2022
PVH Corp. sees C-level shifts at Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger
On The Move has the latest on hires and promotions at Hershey, Kellogg, JM Smucker and more.
On The Move has the latest on hires and promotions at Hershey, Kellogg, JM Smucker and more.
Welcome to On the Move. In this hiring-focused weekly feature, The Current is rounding up recent arrivals and departures at brands and retailers across the ecommerce, retail and CPG landscape.
This week, PVH Corp. sees a departure at Calvin Klein and the addition of a head of merchandising at Tommy Hilfiger. Meanwhile, Kellogg’s and Johnson & Johnson designate key leaders ahead of planned spinouts. Plus, meet new executives at Hershey, Mars Petcare and JM Smucker.
Check out all of this week’s leadership moves:
Trish Donnelly will be leaving her role as CEO of PVH Americas & Calvin Klein Global, PVH Corp. said Wednesday. Going forward, the Tommy Hilfiger parent intends to split the role into two positions. PVH Corp. CEO Stefan Larsson will serve in those roles while a search is conducted. The company also shared on Wednesday that it is planning layoffs, saying that it would “reduce people costs” by 10% by the end of 2023. In turn, it plans to invest in digital, supply chain and consumer engagement.
Nadia Azria was appointed to the role of chief merchandising officer at Tommy Hilfiger, effective Nov. 1. In the role, Azria will be the business lead for management and creation of all products at the brand. This includes overseeing merchandising, product development, buying and planning, operations and collaborations. Azria joined Tommy Hilfiger from Nike, where she most recently served as VP of merchandising for One Nike Market Place. She previously spent 13 years at Ralph Lauren.
Nadia Azria. (Courtesy photo)
Kellogg Company announced the leadership team for its new cereal company as it prepares to separate three of its businesses into standalone companies. The leadership team includes the following current Kellogg team executives:
Laurent Marteau is joining L’Occitane Group as managing director. Marteau brings experience from LVMH Group and La Prairie Group to the French beauty retailer. He will report to CEO André Hoffmann.
Larry Merlo was appointed non-executive chair designate of the new consumer healthcare company that is set to spin out from Johnson & Johnson in 2023. Merlo served as CEO of CVS Health from 2011-2021. The company previously announced that Thibaut Mongon will serve as CEO-designate of the company.
Aparna Chennapragada has been appointed to the board of directors at eBay. Chennapragada previously served as chief product officer of fintech firm Robinhood, and served as VP of AR and shopping at Google, where she led AI, visual search and product insights. With this move, former Facebook and Yahoo executive Katie Mitic is leaving the board.
Marlene Creighton. (Courtesy photo)
Marlene Creighton was promoted to global chief sales officer at The Hershey Company. Creighton will succeed Phil Stanley, who is leaving the confectionery leader after 26 years for another opportunity. Creighton joined Hershey four years ago, and has previous experience with P&G and Unilever.
Alex Cedeno. (Courtesy photo)
Alex Cedeno was hired as SVP of research and development at Mars Pet Nutrition North America. Bringing more than 28 years of experience, Cedeno previously served in a VP of R&D role at The JM Smucker Company. He also previously held innovation roles at Mead WestVaco and Procter & Gamble. He will succeed Michel Oostwal, who is retiring after 12 years with Mars Petcare.
Gagnesh Gupta. (Courtesy photo)
Gagnesh Gupta was named SVP of commodities and procurement at the JM Smucker Company, overseeing sourcing of ingredients and materials. Gupta brings experience from the The Kraft Heinz Company, Pinnacle Foods Inc., PepsiCo Inc., Whirlpool Corporation and Hudson's Bay Company. He is set to succeed Dan Nowicki, who is retiring in October.
Manish Choudhary was appointed president of SymphonyAI Retail CPG, a provider of AI-powered merchandising, marketing, and supply chain solutions for retailers and CPG manufacturers. The appointment comes as the company is changing its name to Symphony RetailAI. Choudary comes to SymphonyAI from Diebold Nixdorf, where he led a global software business for banking and retail customers. He succeeds Chris Koziol, who is leaving the company at the end of August.
Labor disputes on the West Coast could cause further disruption heading into peak season.
When the first half of 2023 is complete, imports are expected to dip 22% below last year.
That’s according to new data from the Global Port Tracker, which is compiled monthly by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.
The decline has been building over the entire year, as imports dipped in the winter. With the spring, volume started to rebound. In April, the major ports handled 1.78 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units. That was an increase of 9.6% from March. Still it was a decline of 21.3% year over year – reflecting the record cargo hauled in over the spike in consumer demand of 2021 and the inventory glut 2022.
In 2023, consumer spending is remaining resilient with in a strong job market, despite the collision of inflation and interest rates. The economy remains different from pre-pandemic days, but shipping volumes are beginning to once again resemble the time before COVID-19.
“Economists and shipping lines increasingly wonder why the decline in container import demand is so much at odds with continuous growth in consumer demand,” said Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett, in a statement. “Import container shipments have returned the pre-pandemic levels seen in 2019 and appear likely to stay there for a while.”
Retailers and logistics professionals alike are looking to the second half of the year for a potential upswing. Peak shipping season occurs in the summer, which is in preparation for peak shopping season over the holidays.
Yet disruption could occur on the West Coast if labor issues can’t be settled. This week, ports from Los Angeles to Seattle reported closures and slowdowns as ongoing union disputes boil over, CNBC reported. NRF called on the Biden administration to intervene.
“Cargo volume is lower than last year but retailers are entering the busiest shipping season of the year bringing in holiday merchandise. The last thing retailers and other shippers need is ongoing disruption at the ports,” aid NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. “If labor and management can’t reach agreement and operate smoothly and efficiently, retailers will have no choice but to continue to take their cargo to East Coast and Gulf Coast gateways. We continue to urge the administration to step in and help the parties reach an agreement and end the disruptions so operations can return to normal. We’ve had enough unavoidable supply chain issues the past two years. This is not the time for one that can be avoided.”