Neiman Marcus names chief brand officer and chief retail officer

Dallas-based luxury retailer Neiman Marcus has announced new leadership roles, naming a new chief brand officer and chief retail officer, as it looks to accelerate its growth strategy to revolutionise luxury experiences.

In a statement, Neiman Marcus named Nabil Aliffi as chief brand officer and promoted Stefanie Tsen Ward to chief retail officer, joining the Neiman Marcus brand leadership team responsible for guiding the expression of the brand and transforming the customer experience.

Both are newly created roles that report to Ryan Ross, president of Neiman Marcus Brand, who joined the company in August.

“Neiman Marcus is the leading integrated luxury retailer in the US, recently achieving tremendous transformation,” said Ross. “These strategic roles will further define the magic of the iconic brand by driving areas that directly impact our customer and fuel our growth.”

Nabil Aliffi appointed chief brand officer at Neiman Marcus

In his new role as chief brand officer, Aliffi will be the “creative force” for the Neiman Marcus brand, responsible for the “unique expression of the retailer and its 2,000+ brand partners through extraordinary omni-channel experiences found only at Neiman Marcus”. He has been tasked with elevating customer touchpoints and bringing a cohesive voice across the retailer’s selling channels.

Aliffi was previously the global chief creative officer of Soho House & Co, responsible for leading the creative vision, services and digital membership offering. He also held leadership positions at Selfridges and Urban Outfitters after co-founding Vulture Magazine.

Commenting on Aliffi joining Neiman Marcus, Ross added: “Nabil is a creative visionary who brings a unique perspective in making Neiman Marcus a luxury lifestyle destination. He knows our customer and how to create a platform for loyal engagement across channels.”

Neiman Marcus promotes Stefanie Tsen Ward to chief retail officer

Tsen Ward, who has played a key role in innovating the customer experience at Neiman Marcus, has been promoted to chief retail officer. In her new role, she will be responsible for “activating the extraordinary” across the brand’s 36 stores and partnering closely with Aliffi to bring the retailer’s brand vision and experience to life.

In addition, she will continue to accelerate the company’s integrated retail strategy, enabling 3,500+ selling associates to offer the unparalleled customer service the brand is known for.

Ross added: “Stefanie was instrumental in leading the development of our remote selling capabilities, powered by our proprietary Connect technology. She creates unequivocal, customer-centric retail experiences and inspires our selling associates to engage in new and innovative ways.”

These appointments are made as the company continues to make strategic investments across key areas of the business including technology, stores and supply chain to drive the integrated retail model. The luxury retailer has committed to making a 200 million US dollar strategic investment in stores over three years.

The retail transformation it states will create unique brand experiences throughout stores, add new spaces for style advisors to inspire customers and provide entertaining food and beverage concepts that make Neiman Marcus a lifestyle destination for the true luxury customer. The retailer is also elevating its digital experience, including significant updates made recently to the Neiman Marcus app.