Movers & Shakers: Petco, Wayfair, Orvis Add New Execs; Levi’s Brand President Quits

Petco Appoints New Chief Merchandising Officer

Amy College has been promoted to chief merchandising officer for Petco, effective Feb. 13. 

She joined Petco in 2019 as senior vice president, operations and strategy and territory general manager. As CMO, she will be responsible for developing and driving Petco’s global merchandising strategy across categories, visual merchandising and merchandising operations. She will also serve on the pet retailer’s executive committee.

Prior to joining Petco, College spent more than 20 years in merchandising and category management leadership roles at Best Buy, with her roles ranging from buyer to vendor management to chief category officer. She succeeds Nick Konat, who is leaving Petco.

Levi’s Brand President Announces Departure over COVID-19 Activism

Levi’s Brand President Jennifer Sey has left her role at the denim brand due to her activism over COVID-19 policies.

She penned a letter on Substack detailing her decision to quit just 18 months after taking on the brand president role. Sey began speaking out against school closures where she formerly lived in San Francisco, garnering attention through media interviews and her opinions on social media and in editorials. Eventually, she moved to Colorado as part of her activism against school closures.

Levi’s offered Sey $1 million in severance pay to leave the company, which she refused because it came with the requirement of a non-disclosure agreement about her departure, according to Sey.

“The money would be very nice,” Sey wrote in her post. “But I just can’t do it. Sorry, Levi’s.”

She also wrote that the company was “trapped trying to please the mob—and silencing any dissent within the organization.”

Sey had been with Levi’s for more than 20 years.

Wayfair Hires Chief Global Supply Chain Officer

Online furniture retail giant Wayfair has appointed Sean Halligan as its new chief global supply chain officer.

In his new role, Halligan will drive the strategic supply chain initiatives across the customer experience, from product discovery to final delivery. He will also work on the ongoing expansion of Wayfair’s fulfillment center and delivery network and the development of the company’s global freight network. The appointment comes as the retail industry has faced supply chain constraints, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Halligan has roughly 20 years of experience leading supply chains for large, complex, customer-facing organizations, including Cardinal Health, Nike and Target.

Orvis Names First-Ever Chief Brand Experience Officer

Orvis has appointed Sheila Shekar Pollak as its first-ever chief brand experience officer, effective Feb. 14.

Pollack most recently served as senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Biossance, an eco-friendly, sustainable skincare company. She also spent 16 years with Gap Inc., including 10 years at Athleta.

Orvis has ramped up hiring for its executive team over the past two years, adding Reenie Benziger––formerly of Gap and Nike––as its chief product officer in December 2020. In addition, Orvis added Rebecca Jones as its chief people officer in October 2021.

See the full story at Chain Store Age.