Dive Brief:

• Global Chief Marketing Officer Seth Farbman, who laid the groundwork for the retailer to mount a comeback, is departing Jan. 31.
• Farbman was considered the architect for the brand's regaining popularity over the past few years.
• It may be a strong Christmas for the retailer, but now the future is unknown, especially as other executives are leaving or have left.

Dive Insight:

Some lousy news coming for Gap amid its busiest season of the year, with its creative direction now in question. Farbman, who took the global CMO position in 2011, brought the brand back to its roots as a casual iconic lifestyle offering.

While Gap was seeing progress, it was spotty, especially recently with same-store sales down or flat in the last three quarters. Was Farbman taking heat for this? After all, it is the CMO's job to set direction and instill drive in employees.The CMO oversees product, including its development, the management of sales and distribution channels, how goods are priced and how advertising is handled. Those are big shoes to fill at a tenuous time for the company, and replacing him may not come before sales slide even further.