Kingsley Gate Recruits Chief People Officer for The Vitamin Shoppe
January 6, 2026 – Private equity-backed Kingsley Gate has helped to recruit Kate Vukelich as executive vice president and chief people officer of The Vitamin Shoppe. “It was a true pleasure to work with Sharon M. Leite, CEO of The Vitamin Shoppe to place Kate Vukelich as the company’s new chief people officer. “Kate will be an amazing addition to a fantastic company,” Mike Bergen, senior partner, global markets at Kingsley Gate, said in a LinkedIn post. “Thank you to the awesome HR practice team at Kingsley Gate, including Kimberly Nathanson, Ryan Gohmann and Stefanie Kish for their exceptional work on yet another successful placement.”
“Kate is an exceptional leader who brings a rare combination of deep HR expertise and proven success in retail operations and P&L management,” said Sharon Leite, CEO of The Vitamin Shoppe. “As The Vitamin Shoppe embarks on an impactful new phase of growth and transformation, Kate will be a true strategic partner in shaping a people-first culture that fuels innovation, engagement, and performance. I’m excited to welcome her to our executive leadership team as we advance our strategy to elevate the brand and create the leading destination for health and wellness.”
Ms. Vukelich brings more than two decades of experience in human resources, retail operations, and organizational transformation across leading global brands. She most recently served as chief revenue and chief people officer at Everlane, where she rebuilt the fashion company’s people function from the ground up, led cultural and operational transformation, and played a key leadership role in guiding the organization to profitability. During her four-year tenure, Ms. Vukelich grew her portfolio of responsibilities from human resources to encompass stores, customer experience, international markets, e-commerce, and marketing.
Prior to Everlane, Ms. Vukelich spent 12 years at Walmart in a range of senior leadership roles of increasing responsibility, including vice president of eCommerce supply chain people, head of strategy and human resources for Walmart Neighborhood Markets, and regional general manager for 150 West Coast stores. She also served internationally as chief of staff and HR integration executive at Massmart, Walmart’s South African subsidiary, where she helped align Walmart’s global values with local operations during a period of significant expansion.
In her new role, Ms. Vukelich oversees all aspects of human resources strategy and operations, including talent acquisition and development, organizational culture, and associate engagement across The Vitamin Shoppe stores, distribution centers, and corporate support center.
“I’m thrilled to join The Vitamin Shoppe at such a pivotal time in the brand’s evolution,” said Ms. Vukelich. “This is a purpose-driven organization powered by passionate teams and a bold vision for the future. As we implement a new transformation and growth plan, I’m eager to help unlock the incredible potential of our people, foster a world-class workplace culture, and ensure every Health Enthusiast associate is valued, empowered, and positioned for success.”
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The Vitamin Shoppe is a global, omnichannel specialty retailer and wellness lifestyle Company with the mission of providing customers with the most trusted products, guidance, and services to support them on their journeys of lifelong wellness. Based in Secaucus, New Jersey, the Company offers a comprehensive assortment of nutritional solutions, including vitamins, minerals, sports nutrition, specialty supplements, herbs, homeopathic remedies, and green living products.
Serving PC/VC Portfolio Businesses and Fortune 100 Companies
Founded in 2015, Kingsley Gate recruits senior leadership for private equity and venture capital portfolio businesses and Fortune 100 companies. Headquartered in New York, the firm employs consultants and recruiters with expertise in private equity, life sciences, financial services, technology, manufacturing, and professional services. Kingsley Gate has completed searches with over 1,700 clients in 33 countries. The firm is backed by the private equity firm Crescent Cove Partners LP.
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Mr. Bergen leads the strategy for growing the firm’s business outside of the U.S., driving cross-border collaboration while building and extending client relationships globally. Prior to this role, he led the North America region for the firm for three years. Additionally, Mr. Bergen leads the firm’s global human resources practice and brings over 25 years of experience in executive search and an additional decade as a corporate human resources professional prior to his executive search career. He has placed executives and professionals across all industries, geographies, and functional areas.
Ms. Nathanson is a principal with Kingsley Gate in the firm’s global life sciences and healthcare practices. She works globally with a diverse clientele ranging from global pharmaceutical organizations to emerging biotechnology companies, medical device and healthcare organizations. Ms. Nathanson has experience recruiting senior leaders in healthcare across clinical development, medical affairs, commercial and regulatory functions. She specializes in conducting assignments for a variety of positions, including CMOs, CEOs, franchise heads and executive/senior medical directors. Within the healthcare services sector, she works extensively with significant private equity-backed national organizations to smaller/mid-sized rural community healthcare systems.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
