Dive Brief:
- Lululemon filled two of its empty leadership roles on Friday, appointing hotel executive Ben Hallam as chief brand officer and Boston Consulting Group Managing Director Emily Sunderland as strategy chief.
- Hallam, who was most recently senior vice president of marketing at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, joined the senior leadership team Monday and reports to CEO Heidi O’Neill. Sunderland will report to Chief Financial Officer Meghan Frank starting Nov. 23.
- Lululemon is still looking for a chief technology officer and a chief communications officer. The retailer last month named then-Athleta CEO Maggie Gauger as its new product chief and tapped Walmart executive Joseph Godsey as chief operating officer.
Dive Insight:
A couple of additional pieces are in place in Lululemon’s turnaround push under Nike veteran O’Neill.
In one of the executive’s first moves as CEO, O’Neill separated out leadership of brand and product into two distinct C-suite roles.
Athleta’s Gauger now leads merchandising, design and innovation as product chief, a critical role for a brand that has been struggling to hit the right trends with shoppers lately. Lululemon also recently named a former product chief to its board in Tara Poseley, who led that function for Lululemon from 2013 to 2015, and restructured its raw materials team shortly before O’Neill arrived.
Hallam, who has experience at Airbnb and Shangri-La Group, among others, now leads brand. As chief brand officer, Hallam oversees not just marketing, but also store experience, community, partnerships and social impact. He is expected to work closely with Gauger’s team, as well as commercial functions and regional leaders.
"Ben brings an exceptional combination of creative vision, commercial discipline, and experience transforming iconic, premium brands at scale," O'Neill said in a statement, describing Hallam’s role as “central” to the company’s turnaround. "His proven ability to translate brand strategy into distinctive and compelling guest experiences will be critical as we strengthen how our brand comes to life across every touchpoint."
As strategy chief, Sunderland will bring experience as a consultant in activewear and specialty retail to help identify growth opportunities and develop long-term plans. She replaces Rachel Acheson, who was one of several executives who left Lululemon shortly before O’Neill arrived. In addition to Acheson, Lululemon’s then-Chief Communications Officer Bill Chandler and the company’s Chief AI and Technology Officer Ranju Das both exited the company.
