Christine Munnelly joins Chico’s as SVP of merchandising & design for Soma

Chico's FAS, Inc. has announced the appointment of executive Christine Munnelly as the senior vice president of merchandising & design at Soma.

The company said in a release that she will be responsible for the product, design and overall strategy for Soma and will report directly to Molly Langenstein, CEO and president of Chico's FAS.

"Christine has a proven track record of results building customer-focused products with vast experience as a merchant and will be instrumental to the Soma brand continuing our growth strategy," said Molly Langenstein.

The company added that with over 35 years of experience in the corporate retail landscape working for an accomplished portfolio of vertical specialty and department stores, Munnelly is a veteran in leading talented and diverse teams in merchandise lifecycle strategy, product development, ecommerce and building consumer centric products.

Most recently, Munnelly served as senior vice president of merchandising at Ascena, where she led merchandising for Ann Taylor and Loft. Prior to that role, she was the executive vice president of merchandising at New York & Company.

Throughout her career, Munnelly has held other executive leadership roles, including vice president of merchandising at Aeropostale. In this role, she led product development, branding, and merchandising for girls' apparel. She was also a key member of the leadership team at Macy's, where she served as the vice president of merchandising in the junior sportswear division during her 17-year stint at the company.

"As a forward-looking merchant, I am especially pleased to be working for an organisation where women take the lead and bring innovation to life," added Munnelly.