Direct-to-consumer shoe brand Rothy’s is building out its executive roster as it looks to capitalize on the investment late last year of Brazilian footwear company Alpargatas, which bought a 49.9% stake in the company in December.
Rothy’s tapped two industry veterans for key executive roles on Wednesday, and elevated two current executives to new positions.
Heather Archibald joined the retailer as chief product and merchandising officer, while Jamie Gersch was named chief marketing officer, according to a company press release. Archibald, who will oversee merchandising, design, inventory planning and allocation at Rothy’s, has more than 20 years of experience, including at Restoration Hardware, Title Nine and Gap Inc.
Gersch also hails from Gap, where she spent 20 years and was most recently Old Navy’s chief marketing officer. At Rothy’s, she will oversee the brand’s e-commerce strategy in addition to global brand marketing.
"Heather Archibald and Jamie Gersch join Rothy's at a tremendously exciting time for the Company," Rothy’s CEO and Chairman Stephen Hawthornthwaite said in a statement. "With a strategic partner in Alpargatas, our global growth opportunity has never been more promising. As our product and brand continue to gain momentum, Heather and Jamie round out our highly experienced leadership team poised to deliver on our growth objectives."
At the same time as those appointments, Rothy’s Chief Financial Officer Dayna Quanbeck is taking on the additional title of chief operating officer and broadening her scope to include international expansion, retail growth and strategy. Heather Howard, a 5-year Rothy’s veteran, will take on a new role as chief of supply chain.
Thanks to the funding from Alpargatas, owner of the Havaianas flip-flop brand, Rothy’s is accelerating its growth strategy across several parts of the business. The company is investing in customer acquisition and product development, as well as expanding its vertically-integrated operations and store fleet.
Rothy’s on Friday opened its 16th store on the Upper West Side in New York, its third location in the city. At the time of Alpargatas’ investment in the brand, Rothy’s operated just eight stores. The DTC brand also hopes to expand its presence internationally through the deal, particularly in Asia, Europe and Brazil.
In addition to bringing on industry veterans to fill out its leadership team, Rothy’s in June elected another former retail executive to its board. Jenny Ming, who served as a president at Old Navy and was the CEO of Charlotte Russe for several years, also advises Levi’s, Kendra Scott and Poshmark, among others.
