Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to step down, Andy Jassy to step up Amazon’s chief executive Jeff Bezos will step down from his post later this year, turning his role over to the company’s top cloud executive Andy Jassy. Meanwhile, Bezos will transition to executive chairman of Amazon’s board. Jassy, who joined Amazon in 1997, has led Amazon’s Web Services (AWS) cloud team since its inception. AWS drives much of Amazon’s profit. In October 2020, about 52 per cent of Amazon’s operating income
ating income was attributed to AWS.
Amazon’s leadership announcement came alongside its earnings report, which posted its first $1 billion quarter.
Last year, Amazon briefly surpassed a $1 trillion market valuation after reporting blowout fourth-quarter earnings.
Hanesbrands announces leadership shakeup
Apparel retailer Hanesbrands has named Tanya Deans as the new president of Hanesbrands Australasia, effective February 8. She will succeed David Bortolussi, who announced his departure in August last year.
Company CEO Steve Bratspies said Deans — who has held a range of brand and product leadership roles across the company, most recently leading the Bras N Things business — is an outstanding people leader with deep experience building iconic brands.
“Tanya has demonstrated a clear vision for the future, and I look forward to working with her as we apply her experience and learnings to drive growth across our global organisation,” Bratspies said.
Deans will lead 4400 team members across the region and be responsible for some of Australia’s most recognised apparel and lifestyle brands including Bonds, Bras N Things, Champion and Sheridan.
The company also made more appointments within the executive team. Mark Barry will take on the newly created position of group general manager at Bonds Group, previously known as the Apparel Group; Kate Hann has been named group general manager for Bras N Things; and Jo Holding has been appointed to the elevated position of general manager of Champion. Paul Gould continues in his role as group general manager for Sheridan.
Luxury retailer Kennedy hires former David Jones exec
Australian luxury watch retailer Kennedy has appointed Aaron Faraguna as its group general manager for retail and merchandise, and Bettina Pidcock as its chief marketing officer.
Faraguna, who is the current director of retail and operations at David Jones, said he is delighted to be joining the team at Kennedy during an exciting time of expansion and growth in the luxury market.
“The Australian consumer is becoming wealthier and more discerning, and Kennedy is perfectly placed as the custodian of some amazing brands and providing a seamless experience for their customers across all channels,” Faraguna said. “I look forward to working directly with the operations and merchandise teams to bring the Kennedy brand into more customers’ lives in a memorable and sustainable way.”
Pidcock joins Kennedy after 30 years’ experience in marketing and communications, most recently as chief customer officer at QBE Insurance.
Both Faraguna and Pidcock will join Brant Clutterbuck, who was appointed chief financial officer in July 2020. The executive team will report to Kennedy executive chairman James Kennedy.
The company has 14 boutiques across Australia, featuring luxury brands Rolex, Patek Philippe, Panerai, Graff, Longines, Omega, IWC Schaffhausen, Cartier, Piaget, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Ulysse Nardin and Tudor.