E.A. Hughes & Co. Places Chief Merchandising Officer at JCPenney
E.A. Hughes & Co. is pleased to announce our partnership with JCPenney in placing Michelle Wlazlo as their new Chief Merchandising Officer.
As seen on JCPenney Newsroom February 28, 2019.
PLANO, Texas – (Feb. 28, 2019) – J. C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE: JCP) today announced the appointment of three highly talented leaders who will play an instrumental role in the Company’s pursuit of operational excellence and sustainable profitable growth.
Effective March 1, Michelle Wlazlo will join the Company as executive vice president, chief merchant, reporting to Jill Soltau, chief executive officer of JCPenney. Wlazlo brings 30 years of merchandising and stores experience to JCPenney from a variety of respected apparel and accessory retailers. Most recently she served as senior vice president of apparel and accessories merchandising at Target Corporation where she helped lead the company’s strategy and implementation of a robust merchandising program that included transforming the presentation of 1,400 stores and launching 15 new private brands.
Prior to Target, Wlazlo spent 19 years at GAP, Inc. in a variety of roles, most recently as senior vice president GAP global merchandising across all brand divisions including women’s, men’s, kids, baby, body and fit. Over the course of nearly two decades, she held multiple merchandising roles of increasing responsibility for Gap, Gap Outlet and Old Navy. She began her career at Saks Fifth Avenue as a department manager before assuming store leadership and buying roles at Bebe Stores, Inc.
Among those reporting to Wlazlo include Jodie Johnson, senior vice president, general merchandise manager for women’s apparel and interim general merchandise manager for home; Angela Swanner, senior vice president, general merchandise manager for center core, which includes salon and Sephora inside JCPenney; Jeff Useforge, senior vice president, general merchandise manager for men’s and children’s; and Val Harris, senior vice president, product design and development.
The Company also announced that it has filled two additional key senior executive positions:
• John Welling will join the Company on Feb. 28 as senior vice president, planning & allocation, reporting to Therace Risch, executive vice president, chief information officer and chief digital officer. Welling brings over 25 years of experience in retail and consulting, most recently serving as senior vice president of merchandise operations for The Michaels Companies where he led planning, pricing, inventory management and merchandise finance. Prior to The Michaels Companies, he spent over a decade at Walmart serving in executive positions of increasing responsibility, and was a partner at Accenture for their North American retail practice.
• Mark Stinde will join the Company on March 4 as senior vice president, asset protection, reporting to Mike Robbins, executive vice president, chief stores and supply chain officer. Stinde has over 23 years experience in loss prevention and store operations, and is a leading retail expert in asset protection, safety and security. He has a proven track record of significantly reducing shrink levels at leading national retailers. Stinde joins JCPenney from 7-Eleven where he most recently served as vice president of asset protection. He has held various leadership positions of increasing responsibility at Toys ‘R’ Us, The Home Depot, Sears, and Circuit City.
“I’m delighted to announce that these three highly accomplished and esteemed retail experts are joining our organization. Each of these executives will play a meaningful role in our Company’s evolution as we work to build our operational capabilities,” said Soltau. “I’m confident that the addition of our newly appointed leaders will inspire the level of progress and momentum needed to deliver a compelling and rewarding shopping experience for our customers and position JCPenney for success.”
To download a copy of this news release, and access company information, bios and photos, please visit: https://www.jcpnewsroom.com/news-releases/2019/0228_welcomes_chief_merchant.html
E.A. Hughes & Co. Places Female Board Member at American Eagle Outfitters
E.A. Hughes & Co., a division of Solomon Page, places Deb Henretta to the Board of Directors of American Eagle Outfitters. Her broad experience will help drive continued growth and momentum of the American Eagle and Aerie brands.
As see on WWD February 15, 2019
American Eagle Outfitters continues to stay on top of the trends.
In addition to recently surpassing $1 billion in sales during a single quarter, the teen apparel and accessories retailer is adding a new face to its board.
Effective Thursday, Deb Henretta is now on the company’s board as an independent director, making the total number of women on the committee three out of eight.
Deb Henretta, from WWD
“Deb’s passion for innovation and transforming the customer experience is perfectly aligned with our strategic vision as we continue to grow our leading brands worldwide,” Jay Schottenstein, executive chairman and ceo of American Eagle said in a statement, adding that Henretta’s experience “will add tremendous value to the team.”
“We look forward to benefiting from her insights,” Schottenstein added.
Henretta’s 30-year résumé in the consumer products industry includes a stint at Procter & Gamble as group president of global e-commerce and president of global beauty care. She is also on the board of a number of other organizations, including technology company Corning and real estate firm Meritage Homes.
The seasoned retail executive said she’s “thrilled” to join American Eagle’s board and the chance to work with Schottenstein.
“It will be a privilege to help drive continued growth and momentum of the American Eagle and Aerie brands,” said Henretta, who hopes her experience in branded consumer goods and digital transformation, as well as on other boards, will help shape the customer experience at American Eagle for the better.
“Both American Eagle and Aerie are pushing the boundaries of innovation and speaking to the values of their target customers,” she said.
American Eagle’s existing female board members are Sujatha Chandrasekaran and Janice Page. The addition of Henretta comes at a time when companies are being pressured by shareholders to rethink their top-level talent.
Straddled with #MeToo woes, Guess Inc. added two female board members as independent directors last November.
Nike, also no stranger to #MeToo publicity, gave Heidi O’Neill, president of Nike Direct, an updated title the following month. O’Neill, one of Nike’s highest-ranking female executives, is now in charge of not only retail stores and the web site, but also oversees digital products and services.
“Companies are being pressured to diversify,” said Susan Anderson, managing director at financial firm B. Riley FBR. “A lot of it probably has to do with what’s going on politically.”
Still, a lack of female board members throughout the retail industry remains evident. Footwear company Skechers, for example, does not have a woman on its board.
Henretta called her appointment to American Eagle’s board “another terrific sign.”
“It is exciting to see more women earning their way into the boardroom and into leadership positions on these boards,” she said, but admitted that the challenges of creating diverse leadership teams in the retail industry are far from over.
“While there is good progress, there is still more work to be done so that today’s boards and management teams better reflect the diversity of the consumers they serve,” Henretta said.
Article by: Kellie Ell on February 15, 2019
Solomon Page Changes the Recruitment Landscape for Fashion, Retail, and Beauty Markets
The Company Acquires Retained Executive Search Firm E.A. Hughes & Co.
NEW YORK, NY, January 28, 2019—Solomon Page, a specialty niche provider of staffing solutions and executive search, announces the acquisition of E.A. Hughes & Co., a leading retained executive search firm servicing the retail and consumer markets. Founded by Elaine Hughes in 1991, E.A. Hughes & Co. has advised clients in their strategic growth initiatives through a unique and comprehensive approach to the search process.
The E.A. Hughes team will continue to be led by Elaine Hughes and will join the Fashion & Beauty Division of Solomon Page, led by Sue Lamoreaux and Patty Hoban Scott in the full-time and freelance fashion markets, respectively. This will further complement the excellent reputation the company holds both geographically and strategically.
“I am thrilled by the synergy this acquisition will provide to each of our clients,” said Elaine Hughes. “It will allow the team to deliver unpreceded talent acquisition encompassing the C-suite executive placements to temporary hires from a single source”.
Sue Lamoreaux adds, “We are very excited to have the opportunity to partner with Elaine and her team. She has influenced the careers of many senior executives in retail and fashion and advocated for women in the industry by example and involvement in many organizations during the past three decades.”
Simultaneously Solomon Page has increased its capabilities in the beauty segment, recently adding Lisa Berger to the team to spearhead the expansion. Ms. Berger has a proven track record in strategic talent acquisition and will advise beauty brands as they seek to build their organizations, in addition to providing relevant content and access to diverse channel partnerships.
“In the ever-evolving landscape of human capital and business models, our goal is to adapt to shifts in the marketplace and create a multi-faceted approach to our clients,” said Lloyd Solomon, Founding Partner and Managing Director of Solomon Page. “Our existing footprint coupled with E.A. Hughes’ established presence uniquely qualifies us as a progressive and forward-thinking brand in the new world of the retail, fashion, and beauty industries. Additionally, our strong and longstanding relationships in the financial services and private equity communities, led by Founding Partner and Managing Director Scott Page, uniquely position our firm as a strategic partner and advisor during this transformational time in the industry.”
About Solomon Page
Founded in 1990, Solomon Page is a specialty niche provider of recruiting and executive search solutions across a wide array of functions and industries. A privately held $185+ million organization, Solomon Page has over 275 employees and ten office locations in the US. The depth of its recruiting resources extends across executive search, direct hire, temporary staffing, and project-based consulting.
Media Contact
Rachel Tigges
rtigges@solomonpage.com
212-824-1537
WWD EXCLUSIVE: Solomon Page Acquires E.A. Hughes & Co.
As seen on WWD, January 28, 2019.
Solomon Page, a $185 million staffing and executive search firm servicing 14 different sectors, has acquired E.A. Hughes & Co., a retained executive search firm.
“Our primary driver of growth historically has been organic,” said Lloyd Solomon, a founding partner and managing director of Solomon Page. “We attract experienced people, add to the team and build our service offerings. But selectively, when we see something we consider unique and special and circumstances coincide, we will do an acquisition and incorporate their team into ours to create a bigger family and better services for clients.
“We’ve done about four acquisitions over our 28-year history, in health-care executive search, the publishing search space, in the legal staffing world and technology,” Solomon said. “E.A. Hughes really extends our reach in the fashion retail consumer goods space and becomes a division. They retain their group, and operate autonomously and collaboratively with our existing fashion team.”
Solomon added that E.A. Hughes’ expertise in c-suite searches complements Solomon Page’s strength in full-time recruitment and freelance hiring, thereby providing Solomon Page with a “broader” approach.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The E.A. Hughes team of eight will continue to be led by Elaine Hughes, who founded E.A. Hughes & Co. in 1991. The boutique executive search firm has been serving the retail, apparel, footwear, beauty, home and e-commerce sectors, among others.
She reports to Solomon, and joins Solomon Page’s fashion and beauty division, led by managing directors Sue Lamoreaux and Patty Hoban Scott.
“Elaine has influenced the careers of many senior executives in retail and fashion and advocated for women in the industry by example and involvement in many organizations during the past three decades,” Lamoreaux said.
Hughes underscored the “synergies” accomplished by combining the two firms, and that the deal gives Solomon Page a broader scope of talent acquisition encompassing Csuite executive search, mid-level searches, as well as staff jobs such as sales associates.
As Hughes sees it, inadequate search is a big factor behind the industry’s high rate turnover at the c-suite level. Many search firms, she suggested, neglect conducting the proper “deep dive” into the candidate’s functional talents, experience and E.Q. to determine whether he or she is a good fit for the organization doing the recruiting and its culture. “No one really assesses it all,” Hughes said.
Recently, Lisa Berger, formerly with the 24 Seven recruitment agency, joined Solomon Page to launch its beauty segment.
“In the ever-evolving landscape of human capital and business models, our goal is to adapt to shifts in the marketplace and create a multifaceted approach to our clients,” Solomon said.
The New York-based Solomon Page, founded in 1990, has 275 employees, 10 offices in the U.S., and one in London. Scott Page is also a founding partner in the company and managing director.
Article by David Moin on January, 28 2019
Tapping Non-Department Store Talent, Nordstrom Names Tesco, Expedia Executive To Top Technology Post
Excerpt from Forbes, August 7, 2018
“Mesrobian’s tech experience, particularly from Expedia, which has a lightning response to all inquiries regarding their services, is what retail needs to harness: quick response in all aspects—customer facing, as well as the operational piece, such as [product] sourcing and delivery,” she told me.
And while it might seem counterintuitive, Hughes says Mesrobian’s hospitality and grocery retail background is a plus for Nordstrom.
“The traditional retailers have been late to the accelerating technology platforms; they haven’t made the investment,” she said. “Even though the food retailers are managing a lower-margin business, they have been doing a better job, particularly Tesco, which rivals Walmart.”
Article by Barbara Thau
J.C. Penney’s Latest Challenge: CEO to Exit
Excerpt from WWD, May 23, 2018 http://wwd.com/business-news/retail/penneys-ceo-departs-1202679192/
“Marvin is leaving behind a good team of people in the office of the chairman to sustain the business until they find a new leader. It’s a solid office of the chairman with executives with skills that complement each others,” observed Elaine Hughes, founder and ceo of E.A. Hughes executive search. “There’s a good 50-50 chance the new ceo comes from outside the industry and it’s a person who knows they’re not in line to be the next chairman or ceo of the company they are with.”
Article by David Moin, May 23, 2018
