Shuffle Board: Burberry Ousts CEO, Levi’s Exec Joins Ralph Lauren

Luxury brand Burberry revealed Q1 sales slumped 21% from last year. The profit fall prompted the brand to cut ties with its chief executive and announce a change of direction. Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images

Brands

Burberry

British luxury brand Burberry has named luxury veteran Joshua Schulman as chief executive officer and executive director. Schulman replaces Jonathan Akeroyd, who was ousted two years into the position and is leaving the company with “immediate effect,” per a mutual agreement with the board. Schulman will lead the executive committee and report to Burberry chair, Gerry Murphy, and the board of directors. He previously served as CEO for Michael Kors and Coach, where he also served as brand president. Before that, Schulman was president of Bergdorf Goodman for five years after a five-year stint as CEO of Jimmy Choo.

Kering

Luxury group Kering has promoted Ewa Abrams to president of Kering Americas from her previous role as the division’s general counsel, effective Aug. 1. In this role, Abrams will report directly to deputy CEO Jean-Marc Duplaix, in charge of operations and finance. She succeeds Laurent Claquin, following his appointment as group chief brand officer last month. As Abrams joined the group in 2018, her experience and knowledge of the luxury industry will support Kering’s regional strategy and development.

Ralph Lauren

Global lifestyle brand Ralph Lauren announced that Christopher Conrad has joined its leadership team as chief digital and technology officer. He succeeds Janet Sherlock, who is set to retire in September, per a LinkedIn post. Conrad previously served as senior vice president and chief information officer at Levi Strauss & Co. for seven years. He also held leadership positions at Billabong, Lululemon and American Eagle Outfitters.

Retail

Five Below

Joel Anderson, CEO of value retailer Five Below, has resigned and left the board of directors to “pursue other interests.” Chief operating officer Kenneth Bull will serve as interim president and CEO. Thomas Vellios, co-founder, non-executive chairman and former CEO, will assume the role of executive chairman on an interim basis. Vellios will support Bull and the leadership team during the transition and while the board searches for a permanent CEO.

Firms

Gordon Brothers

Global advisory firm Gordon Brothers has expanded its leasing and lending teams. Elijah Kaplan and Steve Sanders have joined to support the firm’s growth.

Kaplan will serve as managing director of lending, working closely with the North American lending team to accelerate the firm’s lending initiatives. Sanders will serve as managing director of equipment finance for the eastern region. In this role, he will provide equipment financing to market segments underserved by traditional banks and lenders.