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

Brands

Kontoor

Kontoor Brands has tapped the group’s former executive vice president and chief operating officer Tom Waldron as a member of its board of directors. With this appointment, Kontoor is growing its board seats from six to seven.

Waldron’s tenure at Kontoor’s brands began before the company was spun off from VF Corporation. This included sales, operations, merchandising and brand roles, such as heading up the Wrangler brand. At Kontoor, he was executive vice president, co-chief operating officer and global brand president of Wrangler before becoming executive vice president and chief operating officer for Kontoor, which included leading the Wrangler and Lee brands.

Along with his new board position at Kontoor, Waldron sits on The Lycra Company’s board of directors.

“Tom’s deep expertise of the Wrangler brand and Kontoor’s broader business will bring valuable perspective to our board as we continue to strengthen our multi-brand platform and focus on driving long-term growth,” said Scott Baxter, president, CEO and chairman of the board of directors of Kontoor.

Puma

Puma has created a new role of vice president of e-commerce, appointing Reebok and Adidas veteran Dusan Hamlin to the position. Hamlin will oversee the brand’s digital and e-commerce business, reporting to Puma’s chief commercial officer Matthias Bäumer.

This appointment follows Puma’s 2025 move to created two dedicated divisions for its direct-to-consumer business, separating its retail and e-commerce operations. Hamlin’s past experience includes leading digital and e-commerce roles at Reebok and Adidas in the aughts. After that, he co-founded Inside Mobile, the marketing agency that was rebranded to M&C Saatchi Performance. He also held a leadership role at design consultancy This Place, and he currently sits on the board of software firm Asteria Corporation.

“With Dusan, we have found a proven digital transformation expert to take Puma’s e-commerce to the next level,” said Bäumer. “Our digital channels have become increasingly important for our business in recent years. Considering this, it was crucial to establish dedicated e-commerce leadership to further develop our strategy and enhance the consumer experience across our website, apps and marketplaces.”

Groupe Dynamite

Montreal-based Groupe Dynamite—which includes the brands Garage and Dynamite—has added the former president and chief operating officer of artificial intelligence firm Cohere, Martin Kon, to its board of directors. His appointment is effective immediately.

Kon’s past experience also include chief financial officer of YouTube at Google/Alphabet. He also serves in advisory roles at KKR and J.P. Morgan Advisors and is on the McGill Desautels International Advisory and Advancement Board. This fall, Kon is set to begin doctoral research at the University of Cambridge on “The Reinvention Paradox in the Age of AI.”

Genesco

Footwear group Genesco’s youthful UK-based retailer Schuh is undergoing a president transition as Colin Temple retires after 38 years with the company. Succeeding him is Tomas Petersson, who will join Schuh later this month, reporting to Andy Gray, Journeys Global Retail Group CEO. The ingoing and outgoing presidents will work together over the next few months to smooth the leadership change.

Petersson was most recently senior vice president and general manager, EMEA at Foot Locker, and his career has also included roles at Intersport and Puma.

“Colin’s leadership has helped shape Schuh into one of the UK’s leading footwear retailers, and I want to thank him for his extraordinary contributions to the business for nearly four decades. He leaves behind a strong team, a distinctive brand and a business that is well positioned for continued success,” said Gray. “As we look ahead, Tomas’ international experience and proven ability to grow retail businesses make him the right leader to build on that momentum while advancing our shared strategy across the Journeys Global Retail Group.”

At Genesco’s annual shareholder meeting on July 21, the preliminary voting results show that all nine of its board directors were re-elected. The board nominees were Gregory Sandfort, Mimi Vaughn, Joanna Barsh, Matt Bilunas, Carolyn Bojanowski, John Lambros, Thurgood Marshall, Jr., Angel Martinez and Mary Meixelsperger.

Manufacturers

Champion Thread

U.S.-based thread, yarn and textile maker Champion Thread has tapped John Giordano as senior sales director, a newly created role. He will head up the company’s accounts and wholesale distribution partnerships, with an aim toward growth and stronger customer relationships.

Giordano comes to Champion Thread with more than half a century of experience in sales and marketing roles at thread companies.

“John’s appointment reflects Champion Thread’s continued investment in expanding its domestic manufacturing capabilities, strengthening its distribution network and delivering the technical expertise and customer support that have long distinguished Champion Thread,” said Matt Poovey, CEO and president of Champion Thread. “His decades of industry knowledge and customer relationships have already made a meaningful impact, and we’re excited about the opportunities ahead.”

Technology

Kinaxis

Supply chain planning platform Kinaxis has hired Herb Yeh as chief financial officer and chief strategy officer. Yeh, who joined Kinaxis on July 27, is heading up the company’s finance, accounting, investor relations, strategy and development.

Yeh was most recently senior managing director of Evercore. He comes to Kinaxis with more than 25 years of experience in corporate finance and investment banking, including previous roles at Citi, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP.

“Herb has spent his career working with boards and management teams at their most critical inflection points in enterprise software, and we are thrilled to have him join Kinaxis,” said Razat Gaurav, CEO of Kinaxis. “He has followed Kinaxis and the broader supply chain technology sector closely for more than a decade, and that depth of perspective, paired with his expertise advising companies on capital allocation, strategic finance, M&A and global growth, is exactly what we need as we build and scale Kinaxis for the next phase of innovation and growth.”

Agility Robotics

As it preps for a public listing, physical artificial intelligence firm Agility Robotics has named Michael Beer as chief financial officer, overseeing the company’s finance organization, including investor relations, financial planning and accounting. He succeeds Jennifer Hunter, currently chief financial officer and chief operating officer, who will now solely be chief operating officer.

Beer was most recently at Energy Vault Holdings as chief financial officer and head of corporate services. Prior to that, he spent over a decade as an equity research analyst focused on transportation, logistics and infrastructure at Citigroup, Wolfe Research and Bear Stearns.

“We’re entering an exciting new chapter for Agility as we continue scaling customer deployments, expanding production and preparing to operate as a public company,” said Peggy Johnson, CEO of Agility Robotics. “Strengthening our leadership team is a natural step in that evolution. As our business has grown, the scope and importance of both our finance and operations organizations have expanded significantly. Michael brings outstanding public company finance and capital markets experience, while Jennifer, with her prior experience as a publicly traded COO, will focus exclusively on scaling our operational excellence and manufacturing capabilities.”

Logistics

Mariner Logistics

Mariner Logistics has a new CEO. The fourth-party logistics firm has appointed long-time logistics executive Justin Turner to the role.

Turner’s logistics career began in the U.S. Army. He worked at Coyote Logistics through its acquisition by UPS, spent time at GlobalTranz as vice president of sales, moved to logistics software firm Stord and then worked at Flock Freight as chief revenue officer. He comes to Mariner Logistics from electric truck charging firm Terawatt, where he was chief commercial officer.

Mariner Logistics’ solutions include The Sentinel Protocol, which qualifies carriers, determines the level of threat of specific transit plans, clears loads for release at docks, manages security while goods are in transit and collects intel about the transportation. Another technology, Vibe Engine, provides an AI assistant that connects to enterprise resource planning and transportation management solution software to automate tasks.

“Mariner has built something rare in this industry: an asset-backed 4PL with a real infrastructure, real warehouses and the verification and visibility technology shippers now demand,” said Turner. “Shippers are navigating the tightest capacity since Covid, alongside a new liability environment all at once, and Mariner is built for exactly that moment.”