May executive appointments' bloom

With spring finally making its entrance, executive appointments

 are flourishing across the apparel industry. Express, Gap and The Children´s Place have been the last in announcing their new hires. Express, Inc. inaugurated May announcing that Theo Killion has been appointed to its Board of Directors as a Class III director, effective from 1st of May.  Mr. Killion is Chief Executive Officer and a director of Zale Corporation.   Michael Weiss, Chairman of the Board and the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer commented: “I am delighted to welcome Theo to the Board and look forward to working with him again.  Theo’s extensive retail experience in strategy and business development, talent development and risk management will be valuable to Express as we continue to deliver on our four pillars of growth.” Following this announcement, the Board will include seven members, five of whom are independent, and each of whom possesses significant professional experience, particularly in the financial, retail and business services sectors both domestically and internationally.

In San Francisco, Gap Inc finally completed a global search that began in February with the nomination of Stefan Larsson, a veteran of nearly 15 years with the successful fashion retailer H&M, as their first global brand president for Old Navy. Larsson will join the company by October. “Stefan is a rising star within apparel retail, with proven experience in the value sector. He’s tackled some of the most complex challenges in our industry and has a deep appreciation for the need to balance great product and operational excellence.” Commenting on the new executive, Glenn Murphy, chairman and CEO of Gap Inc., said: “Stefan is a rising star within apparel retail, with proven experience in the value sector. He’s tackled some of the most complex challenges in our industry and has a deep appreciation for the need to balance great product and operational excellence.”

Over nearly 15 years, Larsson was part of the team responsible for growing H&M, with revenues increasing from about $3 billion to about $17 billion and operations expanding from 12 to 44 countries. Larsson most recently served as head of Global Sales for H&M with responsibility for about 2,300 stores worldwide. Nancy Green, EVP & Chief Creative Officer, and Tom Sands, EVP of Stores and Operations, will continue to jointly lead Old Navy until Larsson joins the company later this year.

Third taking the executive hiring wave was The Children's Place Retail Stores, Inc. which has also just welcomed on-board Steven Baginski as their new Chief Financial Officer. He will report to Eric Bauer, Chief Operating Officer. "Steve is a seasoned financial executive with a deep knowledge of the retail apparel business," commented Jane Elfers, President and Chief Executive Officer. "In addition to his strong financial background, he has extensive experience in IT, logistics and procurement which makes him a great asset as we continue our focus on operational excellence." Previously, Mr. Baginski spent 8 years with Limited Brands, where he held several senior level finance positions, culminating in his role as Senior Vice President, Corporate Finance.