Williams-Sonoma reorganizes executive team

Dive Brief:

Williams-Sonoma made a slew of executive changes on Monday, including promoting Marta Benson, currently president of Pottery Barn, to CEO of Pottery Barn Brands.
The company also promoted Michelle Hummel to oversee its global business, a role she has held on an interim basis since July, according to a company press release. Jen Kellor will continue to manage Pottery Barn Kids and Pottery Barn Teen operations.
Abby Teisch has been appointed to manage the company’s cross-brand marketing teams, including its digital marketing and loyalty, marketing strategy and analytics, and customer relationship management divisions.

Dive Insight:

By revamping its leadership structure, Williams-Sonoma said it is trying to better serve customers and investors. All of the executives involved in the changes have long track records at the company, spanning from just over one decade to well over two. Benson and Teisch have spent 12 and 17 years at the company, respectively, while Hummel and Kellor both have tenures spanning over 20 years, per the press release.

The company has swapped leadership elsewhere in the company as well in recent months. In September, the company appointed Jeff Howie as its new CFO after its former CFO, Julie Whalen, exited to join Expedia Group. And in January, the retailer named Day Kornbluth as president of West Elm, bringing her prior experience from Ralph Lauren and Restoration Hardware to the upscale brand.

“This promotion of internal, long-tenured leaders with proven track records of delivering results, reflects the strength of our leadership bench,” Williams-Sonoma, Inc. President and CEO Laura Alber said in a statement. “These leadership moves, coupled with our recent appointment of Day Kornbluth as the new President of West Elm, positions us with an incredibly strong team to deliver long-term growth and success for Williams-Sonoma, Inc.”

Besides reshaping its executive team, the company also refreshed its digital presence. Last month, the company launched mobile apps for Pottery Barn Kids and Pottery Barn Teen, allowing shoppers to create registries, save their favorite items and transact using Apple pay.