Coles names new data manager

By Dean Blake

Supermarket chain Coles has announced the appointment of David Han as general manager for its digital engineering and data division. 

Han previously worked as chief digital officer at General Mills, China, and spent time at Walmart, Hewlett-Packard, and Yihaodian.

According to Coles, Han will be responsible for driving the strategic growth of its omnichannel offer, as well as delivering a seamless and unified customer experience through an acceleration of its digital capabilities. 

Han said on LinkedIn that he is proud to join the Coles business.

Retail NZ names Carolyn Young as its new CEO

By Rakshnna Pattabiraman

Carolyn Young has been appointed Retail NZ’s new CEO, succeeding Greg Harford who will step down on July 21.

Young was most recently the CEO of Special Olympics New Zealand and Netball Central Zone. She has a background in marketing, finance and accounting which gained from her previous roles.

President of Retail NZ, Liz Wheadon, said Young’s appointment was made following a “robust national search process”.

“We had extensive interest in the role, and Retail NZ looks forward to a continued successful and impactful future under Carolyn’s leadership.”

Outgoing chief Greg Harford will take up a new role as CEO at the Canberra Business Chamber.

Authentic Brands hires former Tapestry exec as CFO

By Dean Blake

Authentic Brands, which owns and operates Forever 21, Reebok, Ted Baker, Van Heusen and Volcom, among others, has named Kevin Wills as its new chief financial officer. 

Wills holds almost two decades of experience in financial leadership across the industry, having previously worked at Tapestry, Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman.

“Kevin brings a strong track record of guiding strong financial growth across a broad range of public and private companies,” Authentic’s founder, chairman and CEO Jamie Salter said.

“His diverse experience makes him uniquely qualified to support Authentic’s expansion and accelerate our brand-building playbook worldwide.”

Wills said that he is excited about working across the global range of brands under Authentic’s purview, and that its track record is “outstanding”.

“I am excited about the vast global opportunities that lie ahead and look forward to collaborating with Jamie, the executive team and the entire Finance department to optimise value and benefits for all shareholders.”

PrettyLittleThing appoints new execs to cover exiting CEO

By Dean Blake

UK fashion business PrettyLittleThing has promoted a number of directors across its business into executive roles to share CEO responsibilities, after founder and CEO Umar Kamani stepped down.

According to media reports, commercial director Tom Binns and marketing director Nicki Capstick will take on the roles of chief operating officer and chief marketing officer respectively.

Moving forward, Binns will lead the business’ product, finance and tech divisions, while Capstick focuses on the PrettyLittleThing brand, creative, studio and marketing.

“Both Nicki and Tom will continue to drive the business forward in their new roles,” the business said in a statement. 

Tod’s creative director Walter Chiapponi to step down

By Elisa Anzolin of Reuters

Italian luxury fashion group Tod’s said on Wednesday that creative director Walter Chiapponi was leaving the company “by mutual agreement” after four years.

Chiapponi will present his last Tod’s Spring Summer 2024 women’s collection in September at the Milan Fashion Week, the group said in a statement.

Tod’s did not name a replacement but said that a “new creative direction” would be announced in the coming months.

The designer’s departure was first reported by Women’s Wear Daily (WWD) on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources.

“We thank Walter for the journey we have walked together, for his creativity and for the commitment we have shared together,” said Diego Della Valle, Tod’s Chairman and Chief Executive, in the statement.

In addition to the eponymous brand famous for its Gommino loafers, Tod’s also owns the Fay and Hogan labels, as well as the high-end shoemaker Roger Vivier.