Herbert Mines Taps Chief Merchandising Officer for Boxed
January 24, 2017 – Executive search firm Herbert Mines Associates has recruited Heather Mayo as chief merchandising officer of Boxed.com, the online wholesale shopping club. Ms. Mayo will lead the development and execution of all merchandising strategies and initiatives, and will be responsible for delivering optimal product assortment as dictated by the brand’s strategy and unique target customer profile.
With more than 21 years of merchandising and operations experience in the wholesale club industry, Ms. Mayo was most recently senior vice president of operations at Sam’s Club. There, she had responsibility for all aspects of store operations for 315 clubs in 27 states leading three regional vice presidents, 21 market managers and 54,000 associates.
Additionally, she spent eight years in merchandising as VP – divisional merchandise manager, where she had responsibility for 14 different categories encompassing freezer, cooler, dry grocery, snacks, paper, chemicals, restaurant supplies, office supplies and office furniture. Earlier in her career she worked for BJ’s Wholesale Club as assistant vice president of its specialty business.
“Boxed is thrilled to welcome Heather, whose experience, leadership, and vision helps to round out our leadership team,” said Elana Krieger, vice president of human resources at Boxed. “Chief merchant is one of the most important roles at Boxed as we continue to build vendor relationships and streamline our supply chain.”
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“It is an honor to be named chief merchandising officer of Boxed. I am thrilled to lead and learn from such a dynamic team,” said Ms. Mayo. “I share the company’s passion for superior customer service and applaud the technology and other initiatives underway to deliver world class service and efficiencies.”
Given the company’s many strengths, she said, “I have great confidence that we can continue Boxed’s explosive growth and ability to provide memorable experiences for our customers by driving value, convenience and delivering on our brand promise through our dedicated team.” Boxed.com sells groceries and household goods in sizes that you typically find at warehouse-style- retailers like Costco.
Chief Merchandizing Officers
Chief merchandising officers oversee their company’s buying activities and develop strategies to make the most informed purchasing plans. These C-suite executives make purchasing decisions for a company, including determining product availability, demand, market trends and pricing. They typically manage a team of purchasing or merchandising staff. Chief merchandising officers also implement merchandising plans.
Functional leaders in the sector, say recruiters, remain in hot demand and in retail environments they are viewed as the second highest position in the company after the CEO. “The right person for the job needs a varied skill set to bring together the numbers and strategic vision,” said Suzanne Piazza, assistant professor at Parsons School of Design at The New School in New York.
Herbert Mines is a specialist search boutique focusing on the retail, luxury, consumer products, hospitality & food service, fashion / apparel, and e-commerce industries. The firm is noted for its C-level recruiting work, placing presidents, chief operating officers and CEOs at a number of branded retailers, including Fred’s; Neiman Marcus; Payless ShoeSource; Ulta Beauty; Mama Rosa’s Pizza; Oregon Ice Cream Co.; Fender; Black Diamond; and Bare Snacks, among dozens of others.
Here is a look at a few recent top line placements that the New York-based recruitment provider has recently completed, all culled from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives:
- Wendy Kahn was recruited as CEO and brand president of Stuart Weitzman, a high-end shoe company owned by Coach Inc. Ms. Kahn joined Coach from Valentino Fashion Group, S.P.A., where she was CEO – Valentino, USA and V.F.G., USA & Canada;
- Mary Ellen Coyne was tapped as CEO of J.McLaughlin. Ms. Coyne joined J.McLaughlin after spending 19 years at Ralph Lauren, having most recently served as chief merchandising officer of the POLO Women’s and Children’s divisions;
- Stacia Andersen was chosen as president of Abercrombie & Fitch and Abercrombie Kids and Kristin Scott as president of the Hollister Co. brand. Ms. Andersen most recently served as senior vice president responsible for the apparel, accessories and baby businesses at Target Corp. Ms. Scott came to Abercrombie from Victoria’s Secret where she was executive vice president and general merchandise manager;
- John N. Haugh was selected as president and CEO of Iconix Brand Group. Mr. Haugh is a proven executive with more than 30 years of experience leading premier global brands and retail businesses at highly respected companies, including Luxottica S.p.A., Build-A-Bear Workshop, and Mars;
- Steven R. Becker was lured as CEO to Tuesday Morning Corp.Mr. Becker has served as the company’s chairman of the board since 2012. He possesses deep retail experience as an investor and board member.
Contributed by Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor, Hunt Scanlon Media
