Abercrombie & Fitch promotes Fran Horowitz to CEO
US clothing brand Abercrombie & Fitch has promoted Fran Horowitz, its president and chief merchandising officer, to the role of chief executive.
In a further move, Joanne Crevoiserat, its executive vice president and chief financial officer, has been promoted to chief operating officer while continuing in her current roles.
Arthur Martinez will continue in the role of executive chairman.
Commenting on the moves, Martinez said: “Fran’s appointment to CEO reflects the leadership she has shown in the turnaround of Hollister, our efforts to provide a compelling, customer-focused shopping experience at both of our brands and, while we have more work to do, the repositioning of the Abercrombie & Fitch brand.”
He added: “Joanne’s promotion to the role of COO reflects the scope of her responsibilities and the important role she plays in maintaining our operational discipline and financial strength in a challenging retail environment.”
With Horowitz’s appointment, the office of chairman, which has been leading the company since December 2014, has been dissolved.
Horowitz has president and chief merchandising officer of the company since December 2015. She joined Abercrombie & Fitch as Hollister brand president in October 2014 from Ann Taylor Loft, where she also held the role of brand president. She also previously worked at Express, Bloomingdales, Bergdorf Goodman, Bonwit Teller and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Meanwhile, Crevoiserat has been executive vice president and chief financial officer since May 2014 and a member of the office of the chairman since October 2015.
Prior to joining Abercrombie & Fitch, she served in a number of senior management roles at Kohl’s including executive vice president of finance and executive vice president of merchandise planning and allocation. Prior to her time with Kohl’s, Crevoiser worked with Wal-Mart Stores and May Department Stores.
Abercrombie & Fitch has also recently announced that Will Smith has joined the company as chief marketing officer. His previous roles include senior marketing positions at Caleres.
