The latest HR moves made by leading textile and apparel companies.

Brands

Kontoor Brands

Wrangler and Lee owner Kontoor Brands has promoted Joseph Alkire to president and chief financial officer. Alkire’s expanded role includes global responsibility for Helly Hansen and Wrangler brands, while continuing as CFO overseeing global operations.

“I am energized by the opportunity ahead and deeply grateful to the talented people across this organization whose commitment to excellence has positioned Kontoor to compete and win,” Alkire said in a statement. He will continue to report directly to Scott Baxter, who remains Kontoor’s chief executive officer and chairman of the board of directors.

“Joe has been an exceptional partner in driving Kontoor’s growth and transformation; this expanded role reflects both what he’s already delivered and the confidence the board and I have in his ability to build on that success,” Baxter said. “We’ve reached an important inflection point in our value creation journey, and we’re aligning our portfolio under one leader with the operational and financial expertise to deliver on our ambitions. I’m confident that with Joe in this role, our best days are ahead.”

Canada Goose

Toronto-based luxury parka purveyor Canada Goose has appointed Massimo Piombini to its board of directors.

With over 35 years of experience in luxury, fashion and wellness, Piombini joins Canada Goose’s board to enhance its global governance with expertise in brand building and international growth. The president and CEO of Cadica Group has held senior leadership roles at Diesel, Balmain, Technogym, Valentino, Bally, Boucheron, Gucci and Bulgari. His experience spans public, family-owned and private equity-backed organizations.

“Massimo has been a valued advisor to our business through his service on the Canada Goose international board, and we are delighted to welcome him to our board of directors,” said Dani Reiss, chairman and CEO of Canada Goose. “His experience leading iconic global brands, scaling international businesses and navigating periods of transformation will be invaluable as we continue to execute our long-term growth strategy and strengthen our position as a global performance luxury brand.”

Retail

Target

Household-name retailer Target has named Chandhu Nair its first-ever chief AI officer and senior vice president. The former senior vice president of stores, data, AI and innovation at Lowe’s joins Target to coordinate AI adoption across merchandising, operations, and inventory management.

“The most meaningful AI stories won’t be about what happens in a lab,” Nair said in a statement. “They’ll be about what happens on the front line—how we make shopping easier for a guest, give a team member a better tool, make a business decision with more confidence or bring a new idea to market faster.”

Alongside Nair’s appointment, Target promoted Purvi Shah to senior vice president of user experience to tightly integrate AI technology with customer design.

“This moment gives UX the opportunity to engage more deeply than ever as a key part of the teams building the technology,” Shah said. “Our role is to shape not only what people see, but the systems and decisions behind it to ensure each experience is as easy, inspiring and valuable as it can be.”

Sanrio, Inc.

Hello Kitty creator Sanrio has promoted Jill Koch as chief brand officer for the U.S. and the Americas.

In her new role, Koch will lead Sanrio’s brand strategy and creative vision in the Americas, expanding the brand’s reach across entertainment, consumer products, digital experiences, retail and storytelling. Koch previously served as the company’s senior vice president of brand, where she helped lead Sanrio’s evolution into a multi-platform entertainment and lifestyle brand.

“Jill Koch has been a true force behind Sanrio’s growth in North America over the past two decades,” said Craig Takiguchi, chief executive officer for the U.S. and the Americas. “Throughout our evolution, there has been one constant—Jill has been at the heart of defining our brand while consistently anticipating the cultural trends shaping each new generation. There is nobody more dedicated, passionate, or uniquely qualified to lead our brand into the future.”

Funko

Pop culture lifestyle brand Funko has named Kristin Hamilton as chief commercial officer, effective Aug. 24.

Reporting to CEO Josh Simon, Hamilton will lead Funko’s global organization, driving revenue growth and market expansion—overseeing Funko’s commercial performance across markets and channels, working closely with Funko’s product, brand, licensing, supply chain, finance and operations teams.

“Kristin brings the commercial leadership we need for the next stage of Funko’s growth. She has a proven ability to scale global commercial organizations, build lasting retail partnerships and translate brand passion into sustained revenue growth,” Simon said. “As we move faster to bring products to market and shorten the distance between fans and the cultural moments they love, Kristin’s experience will be instrumental in sharpening our commercial strategy and strengthening our relationship with partners and fans.”

Technology

Worldly

Comprehensive impact intelligence platform Worldly has named Léyoh Goodall as senior vice president of growth. In this role, Goodall will align Worldly’s commercial and customer teams to help businesses manage supply chain risk with verified data.

Goodall will also focus on team alignment and operational optimization to help customers make fast, data-driven decisions. Her teams will ensure consistent and coordinated support as customers expand their use of the platform.

“Businesses want to know what’s actually happening at every tier of their supply chain year-round, and they want that knowledge to drive strategic business and impact decisions they can stand behind,” Goodall said in a statement. “What drew me to Worldly is that it serves both sides of that relationship. Brands get verified data they can act on, and suppliers get a system that recognizes their work rather than burying them in duplicate requests. My job is to make sure every team at Worldly is organized around delivering that experience.”

Goodall joins Worldly with over 15 years of experience in sustainability, ESG and supply chain data. She previously built the commercial function at Social Value Portal and led account management at UL EHS Sustainability.

Calico AI

Calico AI, an AI-powered product creation engine that helps apparel brands source, price and produce products faster, has tapped Derek Galkin as its chief momentum officer. The newly created role is “focused on accelerating the company’s growth and expanding its brand partnerships across the apparel industry,” Calico said in a statement.

Galkin brings over 20 years of brand-building experience. While he is best known in the industry as a founding partner of the California footwear brand SeaVees, he has worked with brands including Formula 1, Deckers, Oakley, Ford, Pantone, Todd Snyder and James Perse. He onboards following Calico’s $15 million Series A funding round, which is helping the company accelerate development across its product creation engine—including real-time pricing and production orchestration.

Epicor

Industry‑specific enterprise resource planning (ERP) software provider Epicor announced that Vaibhav Vohra will become chief executive officer, effective Oct. 1. Vohra succeeds Steve Murphy, who will step down as CEO at the close of Epicor’s fiscal year, Sept. 30, and will continue to serve on the company’s board of directors.

Epicor’s board of directors planned the succession process, beginning with Vohra’s appointment as president in October 2024. Murphy and Vohra will ensure a smooth transition and business continuity.

“Vaibhav is a proven leader with deep experience in enterprise software, and I am confident he is the right person to lead Epicor into its next chapter,” said Jeff Hawn, chair of Epicor’s board of directors. “On behalf of the board, I want to thank [Murphy] for his outstanding leadership at Epicor and the strong foundation he leaves in place.”

Vohra joined Epicor in 2021 as chief product officer, taking on increasing responsibilities as president and chief product and technology officer. He led Epicor’s product strategy, development, management, and design, advancing the company’s cloud, AI and data supply chain vision. Before Epicor, he built and scaled technology businesses, including as a product leader at Gecko Robotics and held executive product roles at SAP.

“Over the past five years, I’ve seen firsthand the people, customers, and partners that make this company special. Our focus remains on helping our customers grow and succeed in an increasingly dynamic world,” Vohra said. “I want to thank [Murphy] for his exceptional leadership and for all he has done to position Epicor for continued success.”

Under Murphy’s guidance, Epicor strengthened its SaaS leadership, accelerated its cloud transition, expanded capabilities and surpassed $1 billion in annual recurring revenue.

“With the company performing well and a clear strategy in place, this is the right time for a change,” Murphy said. “Vaibhav has been instrumental in shaping our product and technology direction, and he is the right leader for what comes next.”

eClerx Services

AI-powered analytics, digital operations, automation and business process management service provider eClerx Services has appointed Hoshi Mistry as delivery head for customer experience, reporting directly to CEO and managing director Kapil Jain.

“I’m thrilled to be returning to eClerx at such an important time in the company’s journey,” Hoshi said in a statement. “Having witnessed the company’s growth from its earliest days, I have always believed in the strength of its people, culture and client-first mindset.”

Hoshi brings over two decades of leadership experience and deep familiarity with eClerx’s culture, clients and operating model. He played a key role in the company’s growth and evolution as one of its earliest leaders.

“Hoshi’s return to eClerx marks an exciting moment for the organization,” Jain said. “Having helped shape eClerx during its formative years and gained valuable leadership experience outside the organization, Hoshi is well positioned to lead our global delivery for customer experience into its next phase of growth.”