The CEO Changes That Have Shaped Fashion and Retail in 2024

Michelle Gass is on her second tour as chief executive officer, having jumped from the top job at Kohl’s Corp. to Levi’s. Gass became CEO in January after spending just more than a year as president, preparing to take the reins from the denim company’s long-time chief Chip Bergh. 

While Bergh took an legacy jeans wholesaler and put it on a much more modern footing, with a greater focus on its own stores and website, Gass is now using her retail experience to hit the accelerator on that transformation. 

She is also looking to continue to grow the brand’s women’s business and recruited some high-powered help, bringing Beyoncé on board for an ad push that harkens back to some of Levi’s advertisements of the past. 

That ties the company’s long past to its future, which is now in the hands of Gass.

Levi Strauss & Co. had big things in mind when it bought Beyond Yoga in 2021 — and it hired former Athleta chief Nancy Green as chief executive officer to realize that potential. 

Green took over the brand from CEO Michelle Wahler, who cofounded the business in 2005 and stayed on after the acquisition. 

Beyond Yoga opened its first store, in Santa Monica, Calif., in 2022 and has been building out a retail footprint, getting its inclusive and color-infused take on activewear in front of more customers.

Tony Spring stepped into the corner office at Macy’s in February, taking over from Jeff Gennette, who led the department store for nearly seven years. 

And he got right to work. 

Spring  quickly laid out his strategic plan, dubbed, “A Bold New Chapter.”

It includes closing about 150 Macy’s stores and reinvigorating the name by investing in the remaining 350 locations. At the same time, the company’s luxury nameplates, Bloomingdale’s and the beauty player Bluemercury, will also be getting more attention

Serial chief executive officer Joshua Schulman stepped in to take the reins at Burberry in July, replacing Jonathan Akeroyd who left by mutual agreement with the company’s board. 

Schulman brought a long résumé to the job of getting the trenchcoat-maker and fashion brand back on track. 

He was CEO of Jimmy Choo, president of Bergdorf Goodman, CEO of Coach and CEO of Michael Kors — a post that was supposed to lead to him becoming CEO of the brand’s parent company Capri Holdings before plans changed. 

 “Burberry is an extraordinary luxury brand, quintessentially British, equal parts heritage and innovation,” Schulman said as he took the job. “Its original purpose to protect people from the weather is more relevant than ever.”

Now the market is waiting to hear how Schulman plans to translate that purpose into better results for Burberry, which saw revenues slip 4 percent to 3 billion pounds last year as adjusted operating profits declined 34 percent to 418 million pounds.

After 15 years at the helm, Fabrizio Freda said he would step down as chief executive officer of the beauty giant Estée Lauder Cos. at the end of next year. 

Freda is still in charge at the firm — which operates its namesake business as well as La Mer, MAC Cosmetics, Clinique and many more — but the search for his successor is said to be “well advanced.”

As CEO, Freda had a remarkable run, but Lauder landed in a tough after the pandemic, with its business in China not bouncing back as quickly as hoped, softness in the U.S. and analysts pointing to a lack of innovation in its products.

After helping push Jacquemus through a growth spurt, Bastien Daguzan made the jump to Los Angeles and Fear of God, where he became chief executive officer. 

Jerry Lorenzo, who founded the brand in 2013, said: “I’m very excited to have Bastien lead this new chapter in Fear of God’s already written history. I have always had conviction in the vision for where the brand is going, now we have clarity in how we get there.”

Fear of God said Daguzan will have a specific emphasis on brand awareness, international distribution and e-commerce.

Alfred Chang brought his eclectic retail background to Everlane, where he became chief executive officer and is working alongside founder Michael Preysman, who is executive chairman and climate. 

Chang had been CEO of Fear of God, but before that spent 17 years at PacSun, moving up the ranks to become co-CEO of the mall retailer. 

Preysman said Chang “has a proven track record in transforming brands by delivering incredible products and scalable growth. I’m confident that under his leadership, Everlane will continue to push boundaries in sustainable fashion and elevate our brand to new heights.”

Elliott Hill swooshed back into the C-suite at Nike in October following his retirement in 2022 after 32 years at the company, where he had led all commercial and marketing operations for the Nike and Jordan brands. 

He took over the chief executive officer job from John Donahoe, who was criticized for the brand’s lack of innovation and pushed through a direct-to-consumer plan only to find that even the sports giant needed to give its wholesale partners some more love. 

Clearly Nike saw its challenges — changes are already in the works and Hill will no doubt have more. In the meantime, Wall Street and the market are in wait and see mode on Nike, which pulled its financial guidance for the year and is still feeling its way forward. 

The team at Gucci — the Kering star brand that has been in flux both creatively and businesswise — is coming into focus with deputy chief executive officer Stefano Cantino preparing to move into the top spot on Jan. 1.

Cantino will take over from Jean-François Palus, a trusted deputy of Kering CEO François-Henri Pinault who’s been leading the brand since Marco Bizzarri left in Sept. 23. 

Palus has been sharpening the brand’s management structure, but there is plenty more work to do with the brand’s organic sales dropping 19 percent in the second quarter. 

Cantino, with designer Sabato De Sarno, is now going to write the next, more elevated chapter for Gucci.

Shira Suveyke Snyder is bringing her digital chops to bear as chief executive officer of Proenza Schouler, which is looking to speed up its growth with omnichannel expansion in brand-owned channels, both via e-commerce and IRL stores. 

 Suveyke Snyder takes over from Kay Hong, who had been CEO for six years and helped pick her successor. 

Before a recent stint helping private equity firms looking to grow their luxury businesses, she was brand president at Shopbop and executive vice president and founding member of The Outnet at Yoox Net-a-porter.

John Lyttle exited Boohoo after five years as chief executive officer — and some of the struggling company’s brands might do the same. 

The online merchant said it was putting its Debenhams, Karen Millen and Young Fashion Brands under review, essentially hanging up a “for sale” sign. 

Mahmud Kamani, group executive chairman, said: “The business has evolved over the last few years, and has an offer that is much wider than our original focus on young fashion. The time is now right to consider options with regard to corporate structure, with the aim of maximizing shareholder value.”

Marie Leblanc is set to become chief executive officer of the Space Age brand Courrèges. 

In the job, Leblanc will work with creative director Nicolas Di Felice to lead the next phase of growth for the brand, which has been expanding its retail network. 

“Marie’s unique talent lies in her ability to fully immerse herself in the creative process, ensuring it remains constantly aligned with the brand’s identity, while crafting an operational strategy that supports and enhances this creative vision,” said François-Henri Pinault, chairman and CEO of Kering as well as Artémis, Courrèges’ parent company.

Leblanc, who most recently was CEO of Victoria Beckham, will be at her post as of Nov. 4 and is taking the reins from Adrien Da Maia.

Crystal-maker Baccarat started preparing for a changing of the guards, naming Laurence Nicolas as its next chief executive. 

Nicholas, who has been on the brand’s board since 2018, officially lands in the C-suite in February, when she takes over from Maggie Henriquez, CEO of Baccarat since 2022. 

Bryant Stone, chairman of Baccarat, said Nicholas’ “extensive expertise and commitment to excellence will undoubtedly lead Baccarat toward new ambitions.”

Most recently, Nicolas worked at Printemps, but she is perhaps best known for her 2001 to 2017 run at Christian Dior, where she was CEO of timepieces and fine jewelry.

Cédric Charbit is leaving his long-time post as CEO of Balenciaga to take the top job at Saint Laurent on Jan. 2.

Gianfranco Gianangeli, who is chief commercial officer at Saint Laurent, is in turn going to succeed Charbit at Balenciaga. 

Both brands are owned by Kering, where executives are known to play C-suite musical chairs, moving from brand to brand as the company’s various businesses and the executives’ own careers develop. 

At Balenciaga, Charbit is taking over from Francesca Bellettini, who will now focus on her other job as Kering’s deputy CEO in charge of brand development.

“Cédric was one of my key collaborators during my time at Saint Laurent, and I’ve always admired his leadership and unique skills,” Bellettini told WWD. “At Balenciaga, he not only drove incredible growth but also managed to steer the brand through challenges and bring fresh momentum. I’m confident he is the perfect leader to shape the next chapter of Saint Laurent.”