On the Move: Executive teams make room for supply chain, metaverse

Bazooka promotes VPs of ecommerce, brand marketing

Bazooka Candy Brands announced the promotion of two team members to vice president roles.

• Becky Silberfarb was promoted to VP of brand marketing, Americas. In a previous role as senior director of marketing, she led brands such as Ring Pop, Push Pop, Baby Bottle Pop and Bazooka. Previously, she spent three years at Danone.
• Lizzy Mangold was promoted to VP of ecommerce and innovation. Previously, as senior director of innovation and ecommerce marketing, she led marketing for Baby Bottle Pop and Juicy Drop, while developing successful new products. Prior to joining Bazooka in 2011, she worked at The New York Cosmos.

Belk CEO departs, takes COO role at GameStop

Nir Patel stepped down from the role of CEO at department store retailer Belk last week. On Monday, Patel was appointed chief operating officer at GameStop, the video game retailer that shifted its strategy to focus on ecommerce last year.

Patel was named CEO of Belk in July 2021. He previously held senior roles at Kohl's and Lands’ End.

At Belk, president and chief operating officer Don Hendricks was appointed to the role of interim CEO.

Trove promotes Gayle Tait to CEO

Recommerce tech company Trove appointed Gayle Tait to the role of CEO. With this move, founding CEO Andy Ruben will become the company’s executive chairman.

Tait joined Brisbane, California-based Trove in January 2021, and served as president of the company. She previously served as managing director for global retail and payments activation for Google Play, and spent 15 years at L’Oreal.

“Since Gayle joined Trove nearly 18 months ago, her contributions have been transformative. Her leadership, vision and operational expertise will undoubtedly propel Trove to new heights as we continue to build our technology platform and grow across luxury and other categories,” said Ruben, in a statement.

Founded in 2011, Trove powers resale channels for brands including Allbirds, lululemon, Levi’s, Patagonia, REI, Eileen Fisher and Arc’tery.

JC Penney names Aylward as CMO

Retailer JC Penney appointed John Aylward to the role of chief marketing officer, effective June 6.

Aylward joines JC Penney from global anti-poverty nonprofit CARE. He also brings experience as a marketer at DSW, Starbucks and Gap.

He will be focused on strengthening JC Penney’s loyalty program, and aiding its efforts to create a seamless omnichannel experience across in-store and digital shopping formats.

​L’Oreal makes a series of executive moves

Beauty company L’Oreal announced a trio of moves that will affect its US leadership:

• Susannah Greenberg was promoted to chief information officer for the Americas, focused on driving beauty tech growth. She has worked with L’Oreal for a decade, and led the company’s Women in Tech group.
• Leslie Marino was appointed to the role of president of the professional products division for the USA, overseeing Biolage, Kérastase and L’Oréal Professionnel. Marino previously oversaw a series of brands including Redken and Pureology.
• Nathalie Gerschtein was appointed to president of the consumer products division of the, North America Zone. She will oversee a portfolio that includes L’Oréal Paris, Maybelline New York, Garnier and Carol’s Daughter. She has a 20-year career with L’Oreal that began in the management trainee program.

Eddie Bauer CEO departs

Damien Huang stepped down as CEO of outdoor apparel retailer Eddie Bauer on May 13, according to WWD.

Huang worked at Eddie Bauer for 12 years. In 2021, it was acquired by Authentic Brands Group from Golden Gate Capital, becoming part of ABG’s SPARC Group portfolio. Now, SPARC Group is seeking a new leader.

“Working with the team at Eddie Bauer and crafting a vision for this brand’s second century has been a phenomenal experience,” Huang said in a statement. “I’m proud of all that we accomplished together to make outdoor adventure accessible and fun. I am confident that under the leadership of SPARC and ABG, Eddie Bauer is well-positioned to continue its momentum.”

The move comes after the brand named Christopher Bevans as its first creative director earlier this month.

BARK names Gustafson as CMO

Omnichannel dog brand BARK appointed Cindy Gustafson as chief marketing officer

Gustafson brings experience in ecommerce, subscription and CPG. She previously served as global CMO at WW International, Inc. (formerly known as Weight Watchers), and has more than 20 years experience with brands including Nike, American Express, Jaguar/Land Rover, Unilever, Booking.com, Volvo and Royal Caribbean International.

Founded in 2011, BARK provides subscription boxes (BarkBox), meal plans and health and wellness products, among other offerings.

​Crate & Barrel makes executive promotions, including SVP of the metaverse

Home retailer Crate & Barrel made a series of executive promotions:

• Alicia Waters was named EVP for Crate & Barrel and Crate & Kids. She previously served as chief marketing officer.
• Sebastian Brauer was named SVP for product design, development and metaverse. He previously served as VP of product design and development. Now, Brauer will be overseeing the company’s strategy for web3 and the metaverse.
• Joan King was named EVP of digital and international growth. She previously served as SVP of ecommerce and international.

REI names supply chain chief

Outdoor retailer REI Co-op named a pair of new members to its senior leadership team this week:

• Sylvia Wilks will join the company on May 23 as its first SVP and chief supply chain officer. Tasked with developing the supply chain network of the future, Wilks previously worked at the startup TireHub, Starbucks and Kimberly-Clark.
• Minnie Alexander will join as VP, general counsel and corporate secretary on May 31. Alexander previously served as assistant general counsel at the Walt Disney Company.

​Solo Brands names new CFO

DTC platform Solo Brands appointed Somer Webb as the company’s new chief financial officer, effective May 16. Webb will succeed Sam Simmons, who is helping to support the transition.

Webb is joining from sporting goods manufacturer Kent Outdoors, and has also served in leadership roles at Worldwide Express, DaVita, Match Group, Amazon and Yum Brands.

Crayola reorganizes executive team

Crayon brand Crayola announced a reorganization of its executive team as it looks to build momentum from expansion in content on YouTube, social channels and in-person centers. It included the following moves:

• Victoria Lozano, Crayola’s EVP of marketing communications and digital strategy, is adding content development to her responsibilities. In this role, she will lead planning and development for Crayola children’s entertainment content, as well as consumer activation, engagement, and content strategy across children, parent and educator audiences.
• Warren Schorr was promoted to SVP of business development, global licensing and experiences, leading Crayola’s location-based entertainment business.

​Johnson & Johnson designates leaders for consumer health company

Johnson & Johnson named Thibaut Mongon as CEO designate and Paul Ruh as CFO designate of its new consumer health company. This follows the 2021 announcement that J&J plans to spin off its consumer health business, which includes brands such as Tylenol, Neutrogena, Listerine and Aveeno. Mongon and Ruh both served as CEO and CFO of the company’s consumer health division. With this move, the company said the leadership transition will take place in 2023.