Kirk Palmer Associates Recruits Chief Merchandising Officer for Belk
August 6, 2026 – Retail-focused executive search firm Kirk Palmer Associates has helped to recruit Molly Taylor as chief merchandising officer at retailer Belk, where she will lead merchandising strategy and vision across all product categories. Melissa Sussberg and Alexa Liebman led the assignment.
Ms. Taylor is a merchandising executive with over 30 years of experience connecting topline vision to bottom-line performance across department store, luxury and off-price retail. Most recently, she served as SVP of merchandising, fashion, editorial and marketplace at Rue Gilt Groupe, where she led the merchandising vision for fashion categories, editorial content strategy and marketplace partnerships across the luxury off-price ecommerce platforms Rue La La and Gilt.
Prior to Rue Gilt Groupe, Ms. Taylor served as chief merchandising officer at Saks OFF 5TH and Century 21 Stores, and spent 11 years at Nordstrom in progressively senior merchandising roles. She began her career at Macy’s, where she spent 19 years across merchandising, buying and store leadership. Ms. Taylor holds a BS in fashion merchandising from the University of Idaho and an AAS in fashion, buying and merchandising from the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she serves on the board of directors of the FIT Foundation and co-chairs the FIT Alumni Advisory Council.
In her new role with Belk, Ms. Taylor will lead merchandising strategy and vision across all product categories. She will oversee assortment, vendor partnerships, and pricing , working closely with Marketing and Stores.
Kirk Palmer Associates is a leading independent executive search firm dedicated exclusively to consumer brands. Operating from New York, London, and San Francisco, the firm has led thousands of searches for CEOs, presidents, and senior leaders across functions, forming decades-long relationships with the industry’s top executives. Since its founding in 1987, Kirk Palmer Associates has built a reputation for deep industry expertise, strong attunement to client needs, transparent and authentic communication, and consistent delivery of the right results in a timely manner. They are experienced partners to public, private, and founder-led companies, as well as private equity firms.
As a partner at Kirk Palmer Associates, Ms. Sussberg draws on two decades of firsthand industry experience to place senior executives in leading fashion, beauty, luxury, and retail brands at all stages of growth. With a client roster that includes Prada, Tiffany & Co., Bloomingdale’s, and Malin + Goetz, her approach is rooted in a deep understanding of the interplay between cultural relevance and commercial excellence. Ms. Sussberg’s placements include CEOs and presidents as well as C-level executives in marketing, merchandising, ecommerce, sales and retail.
Ms. Liebman is an associate at Kirk Palmer Associates. In this role, she blends her experience growing consumer brands and her innate talent for connecting with people to build authentic and lasting relationships with the executive talent community. Most recently, she earned her MBA from the Wharton School, where she focused on early-stage consumer investing and worked with firms including True Beauty Ventures and Willow Growth Partners.
Past Assignment
Kirk Palmer Associates also recently assisted in the recruitment of Rafeh Masood as chief commercial officer of The Aspen Group, one of the largest retail healthcare support organizations in the U.S. Mr. Masood is a growth-focused enterprise leader with over two decades of experience spanning dining, multi-branded retail, and hospitality, serving most recently as chief growth and digital officer at Royal Caribbean Group.
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He is known for building customer-centric ecosystems and driving sustainable, profitable growth through data, technology, and operational excellence. Previously, Mr. Masood previously held senior leadership roles at DICK’S Sporting Goods, BJ’s Wholesale Club, and Bed Bath & Beyond. He currently serves on the board of Harley-Davidson Motor Company
The Aspen Group is a healthcare services organization that supports a portfolio of consumer healthcare brands across dentistry, medical aesthetics, urgent care, and related sectors. Headquartered in Chicago, the company provides operational, administrative, technology, and business support services designed to help affiliated healthcare practices manage growth and improve patient access.
Related: Kirk Palmer Associates Assists Bare Necessities with President Search
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
