Herbert Mines Assists Brixton with CEO Search
April 18, 2024 – New York-based retail and consumer focused executive search firm Herbert Mines Associates has assisted in the recruitment of Seth Ellison as CEO of Brixton, an Altamont Capital Partners company. He replaces Raphael Peck, who left the company is December. “Herbert Mines Associates is proud to have partnered with Altamont Capital Partners to place Seth Ellison as CEO of Brixton,” the firm said in a LinkedIn post. “As referenced in Shop-eat-surf, we launched the search with a cultural immersion at the brand’s HQ.”
Scott Olivet, operating partner at Altamont Capital Partners, told Shop-eat-surf that “Herbert Mines started with a cultural immersion in Orange County in early December, visiting independent accounts, Brixton retail, and a sampling of national retailers. They met with an independent sales rep, sales associates of action sport retailers, members of the management team, and the board of directors.”
“We ran a very comprehensive search and Seth’s range of experiences was unique,” said Keoni Schwartz, co-founder of Altamont Capital Partners, which owns Brixton. “He started in sports and action sports but has spent the last decade in lifestyle apparel; led brands equally relevant for men and women; led both domestic and international businesses; ran DTC businesses but is wholesale focused; he started in design, merch, and sales, but has led a variety of both small and very large organizations as president and CEO.”
Mr. Ellison previously served as executive vice president, chief commercial officer at Levi Strauss & Company, where he worked for a decade in a variety of roles. He also held leadership positions at Alternative Apparel, Nike, Perry Ellis Swim, Quiksilver, and Hurley.
“I’m incredibly excited to be returning to my action sports roots,” Ellison told Shop-eat-surf. “I’m a Southern California native, have boarded most of my life, and loved every minute of my time in the industry from Gotcha to Quik to Hurley. The industry is obviously going through a lot of changes and we need to support each other. While I was interviewing, I did extensive work out in core doors. I will simply say that we can be more relevant and we can be better partners with the core accounts.”
Related: Herbert Mines Associates Places Chief Marketing Officer for Kravet Inc.
Founded in 2004, Brixton is the collaboration of three friends who wanted to convey their lifestyle through unique products. Based in Oceanside, CA, Brixton manufactures a full line of apparel, headwear and accessories and is distributed in over 30 countries.
Proven Search Firm
Established in 1978, Herbert Mines is a specialist search firm focusing on the retail, fashion and apparel, beauty, consumer products and services, hospitality, leisure, restaurant, and digital/technology industries. The firm is noted for its C-suite recruiting work. Herbert Mines has had upwards of 3,600 searches during the tenure of Hal Reiter, who joined the firm in 1993 as president, and was appointed chairman and chief executive officer in 1998.
Herbert Mines Associates Assists Beauty by Imagination with CEO Search
Herbert Mines Associates has assisted in the recruitment of Doug Gillespie as the new CEO of Beauty by Imagination, Inc. (BBI), an ACON Investments backed haircare company. He succeeds current CEO Francesca Raminella, who joined the company in 2018. “Doug brings a wealth of relevant experience and a track record of success in consumer-driven businesses to this role,” said Suma Kulkarni, a member of BBI’s board of directors and partner at ACON Investments. “We are excited to see him leverage his expertise in leading multi-brand portfolio companies to propel BBI’s next phase of growth and innovation.”
Brenda Malloy is the firm’s president. She brings over 40 years of experience to Herbert Mines Associates. During her career, she has authored numerous articles on retail CEO succession, omnichannel leadership, in addition to being a featured speaker at the National Retail Federation’s annual convention in New York City. Working with leading retailers at the senior most–levels to assemble winning leadership teams, Ms. Malloy primarily recruits board directors, CEOs, and their direct reports for publicly traded, privately held and private equity backed companies spanning vertical specialty, lifestyle and branded retail, off-price/value, grocery, hardlines, mass, and the specialty department store sectors.
Past Search
Earlier this year, Herbert Mines assisted in selection of Bradley Weston, seasoned retail executive and former CEO of Party City Holdings, Inc., who has been nominated to join its board of directors of NASDAQ-traded Vera Bradley Inc.
“We are so pleased to welcome Brad Weston as the newest member of the Vera Bradley, Inc. board of directors,” said Jackie Ardrey, CEO. “As we continue to make progress on project restoration, our strategic plan to drive long-term profitable growth and deliver value to our shareholders, Brad’s wealth of omnichannel retail experience, strong merchandising background, and visionary leadership will be invaluable assets. Weston is a battle-tested executive with a diverse background, having successfully operated in mature, start-up, turnaround/transformation, and high-growth situations over his 35-year retail career.”
Related: Herbert Mines Recruits President and COO for Sprouts
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor; Lily Fauver, Senior Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
