Neiman Marcus has named a new CEO, Geoffroy van Raemdonck, to replace Karen Katz, who is retiring after seven years as president and chief executive of the luxury retailer.
Geoffroy van Raemdonck
The appointment of van Raemdonck is effective Feb. 12. Katz will retain her seat on the board of Neiman Marcus, No. 41 in the Internet Retailer 2017 Top 500, and assist with the transition, according to a company statement Friday announcing the change.
“We are thrilled to welcome Geoffroy to Neiman Marcus and look forward to extending the company’s positive momentum under his leadership. He is a global industry leader and business builder with exceptional vision and energy,” chairman David Kaplan said.
Van Raemdonck most recently was group president for the Europe, Middle East and Asia and Global Travel Retail divisions at Ralph Lauren (No. 64). There, “he led the transformation of all Ralph Lauren brands across full and off-price stores, wholesale and digital. His accomplishments include delivering strong double-digit profit growth over multiple years, expanding gross margin and increasing distribution quality,” according to Neiman Marcus. Previously, van Raemdonck was CEO at St. John Knits International Inc. and held several global leadership roles at Louis Vuitton from 2008-13.
“I look forward to working closely with the leadership team, the company’s 14,000 employees globally and our luxury brand partners as we continue to innovate and engage our loyal customers in new ways,” van Raemdonck said.
Katz, who has worked at Neiman Marcus for more than 30 years, was instrumental in establishing the retailer as “the leader in luxury online retail,” the company said in a statement. “She led the implementation of the company’s Digital First strategy, which continues to drive growth. Currently, the company’s online business represents more than 30% of total revenues.”
Neiman Marcus had $1.436 billion in online sales in 2016, up 7.3% from 2015 web sales of $1.338 billion, according to Internet Retailer data.
“As CEO, Karen helped establish Neiman Marcus as a digital leader in luxury fashion and retail and put the company on a path for long-term growth. We are extremely grateful for her vision and significant contributions, which have spanned over 30 years at the company, including the last seven as CEO, and look forward to continuing our work together on the board,” Kaplan said.
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