Kirk Palmer Associates Places Chief Commercial Officer at PetSmart
August 14, 2025 – Retail-focused executive search firm Kirk Palmer Associates has recruited Jesica Duarte as executive vice president and chief commercial officer of PetSmart. Dana Levine, Suzannah Brown, and Jennifer Riemer led the assignment. “Jesica is a strategic and growth-minded leader, with an impressive career tenure working across successful retail brands,” said Ken Hicks, president and CEO of PetSmart. “She has led teams through significant business and process transformations, while delivering strong business results and her expertise will be invaluable as we work to advance our long-range plan.”
Ms. Duarte brings more than 30 years of leadership experience across retail, grocery, beauty and food and beverage industries. Most recently, she served as group vice president of national merchandising for Albertsons Companies. Prior to that, Ms. Duarte spent nearly 12 years at Walmart in various leadership roles including vice president of private brands for general merchandise at Walmart U.S., vice president of product development and sourcing for home at Walmart U.S., and chief merchandising and marketing officer for Walmart Chile. Her experience also includes merchandising and marketing positions at Molson Coors Beverage Company, Beam Suntory, Estée Lauder and J.C. Penney. She also serves as an advocate for the Hispanic community and has served as chair of the Idaho Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Ms. Duarte will oversee merchandising, proprietary brands, merchandise planning and allocation, digital and marketing organizations at the omnichannel pet retailer. The newly created role is part of PetSmart’s strategy to accelerate growth, enhance customer experience and expand market share, noted Mr. Hicks
“This is an exciting time at PetSmart, and I’m thrilled to be joining this impressive team at such a pivotal time in the business,” said Ms. Duarte. “PetSmart has such a special and unique community of associates, pet parents and pets who all share the same passion and I’m looking forward to being a part of that. I’m equally pleased to bring together my own passions for merchandising, marketing and meeting the customer where they are with omnichannel capabilities and to contribute to the work being done to make PetSmart the favorite pet retailer.”
PetSmart is a retail chain specializing in pet products, services, and solutions for a wide variety of animals, including dogs, cats, fish, birds, reptiles, and small pets. Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, the company operates hundreds of stores across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. PetSmart offers a comprehensive selection of pet food, toys, bedding, and accessories, alongside in-store services such as grooming, training, pet boarding, and veterinary care through its Banfield Pet Hospital partnerships.
Retail-Focused Search Firm
Since its founding in 1987, Kirk Palmer Associates has grown globally, helping retailers hire CEOs, presidents, and front-of-house executives spanning a wide array of marketing, merchandising, stores, sales, E-commerce, and digital leadership roles. Kirk Palmer Associates is made up of retail and fashion industry veterans. The firm’s partners have placed more than 1,000 CEOs, presidents, vice presidents, and other senior executives at over 200 retail and wholesale companies across all channels, sectors, and functional areas.
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Ms. Levine is a partner specializing in fashion, luxury and lifestyle brands. She joined Kirk Palmer Associates in 2014 after an extensive career in merchandising, planning, digital, and stores at GAP, Ralph Lauren, and Loro Piana. Ms. Levine has partnered with clients ranging from LVMH to PetSmart and has placed CEO, C-level and senior management executives.
Kirk Palmer Associates Recruits CFO for Fossil Group
Kirk Palmer Associates has placed Randy Greben as chief financial officer of Fossil Group. The search was led by Kyle Rudy, Karen Ouchterloney, and Kerry Scott. He replaces Andrew Skobe, interim CFO. The appointment reinforces Fossil Group’s continued commitment to building its leadership team to drive long-term profitable growth. “We are thrilled to welcome Randy, who brings deep financial acumen and operating expertise to the company,” said Franco Fogliato, CEO. “Randy is a proven leader and change agent. His appointment will add tremendous value to our team as we pursue our turnaround plan and focus on value creation for all our stakeholders.”
Ms. Brown is a senior associate at Kirk Palmer Associates. She brings to the role nearly a decade of experience within executive search as well as financial and private equity services. Most recently, Ms. Brown was a core member of the global retail, apparel, and luxury goods practice at Spencer Stuart.
Ms. Riemer began her career in search over a decade ago supporting the board practice at Spencer Stuart. She is adept at supporting complex executive search assignments for board, CEO and C-level through VP talent. Earlier in her career, Ms. Riemer was an external communications specialist at McKinsey & Company.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
