Designer Brands Appoints Doug Howe As Its Next Chief Executive — Retail Bum

Designer Brands has named Dough Howe as the next CEO of the company, effective April 1, 2023.

Howe, who presently serves as the president of Designer Shoe Warehouse and executive vice president of Designer Brands, will be taking over the reins from current CEO Roger Rawlins.

Rawlins is expected to stay with the company for another year in an advisory capacity to facilitate a seamless transition.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I want to thank Roger for his leadership and unparalleled commitment to Designer Brands over the past 17 years. Roger has been at the forefront of Designer Brands’ transformation from a shoe retailer to a brand builder,” said Designer Brands Executive Chairman Jay Schottenstein.

“As a result of a comprehensive succession plan, we are pleased to appoint Doug, a strategic thinker with a demonstrated history of driving results in the industry, to CEO,” Schottenstein added.

Howe brings more than 30 years of experience in the retail industry, focusing on direct-to-consumer and vertical brand growth. Before Designer Brands hired him in May 2022, he served as the chief merchandising officer at Kohl’s, where he was responsible for buying, planning, sourcing, product development, and design and merchandising transformation efforts. He has also previously held leadership roles at Gap, Walmart, and Qurate Retail Group, where he oversaw the QVC and HSN business as the chief merchandising officer.

“I am focused on continuing to execute on the long-range plan the team laid out at our 2022 investor day to double the sales of our owned brands and maintain the sales of our national brands, all while delivering with incredible speed and quality,” Howe said.

Originally published at https://retailbum.com on January 6, 2023.