VF Names Caroline Brown as TNF Global Brand President; Re-Works Board

VF Corporation named Caroline Brown as global brand president of The North Face, effective June 10. Brown succeeds Nicole Otto, who was appointed global brand president for The North Face in June 2022 following a 16-year career at Nike.

As a result of Brown’s appointment, she resigned as a member of the VF Board of Directors.

Caroline Brown served as an independent director on the VF Board from February 2024 to May 2024. She has extensive experience as a senior leader and board director in the fashion and apparel industries, leading global companies and teams across the U.S., Asia, Latin America, Middle East, EU & UK regions.

Most recently, Brown was a managing director at Closed Loop Partners, a New York-based investment firm and innovation center focused on the circular economy, where she led the firm’s fashion practice. Brown was previously the CEO of Donna Karan International (DKI) and DKNY. She reportedly led the company’s transformation, elevating product design, modernizing brand identity, overseeing organizational structure realignments and supply chain consolidations. Brown led the company through the sale from LVMH to G-III Apparel Group.

Before DKI, Brown was president of Carolina Herrera, the luxury fashion house owned by PUIG, where she led the “evolution in product development, brand architecture and international expansion.” Previously, she was the U.S. chief executive officer of Akris, a Swiss-based luxury fashion brand.

Brown began her career at Giorgio Armani, spending over a decade in marketing and communications leadership roles. She has served on numerous boards, including Eileen Fisher (U.S.), Browzwear (Israel), Dimpora (Switzerland), By Rotation (UK), For Days (U.S.), and others. She is a member of the MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative Advisory Board and an Advisor to the Martin Trust Center for Entrepreneurship at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Brown is passionate about mentoring new talent and has served as an advisor to the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund and the H&M Global Change Awards, supporting the development of future leaders and innovation for the industry.

“Caroline’s expertise in building and transforming global brands, as well as her extensive experience in the apparel and fashion industry, fit perfectly with the needs of The North Face brand at this time,” said Bracken Darrell, president and CEO of VF Corp. “With Caroline’s intense focus on brand building, product design, consumer insight, and innovation, I am confident The North Face will expand on its enormous power as a leading global outdoor brand and be a driving force behind VF’s growth and value creation. On behalf of the Board and leadership team, I thank Nicole for her dedication and service to VF and the brand, and wish her the best in her future endeavors.”

VF Corporation also announced that Mindy Grossman and Kirk Tanner were appointed independent directors on the VF Board, effective May 30, 2024. Grossman and Tanner will stand for re-election at the 2024 Annual Meeting of VF Shareholders. Benno Dorer is not to standing for re-election at the 2024 Annual Meeting.

Mindy Grossman is a partner at Consello, an advisory and investing platform that advises corporate clients in Growth, Marketing, Technology, and M&A. The company invests in high-potential, mid-market companies through its investment arm, Consello Capital. Before Consello, Grossman was president, CEO, and a member of the Board of Directors of WW International, where she reportedly led the organization’s rebranding from Weight Watchers to WW and its evolution to a personalized digital health, wellness and science-based weight loss platform with a digital-first subscription model.

Before WW, Grossman was the CEO and a board member at HSNi (and its predecessor IAC Retail) for 11 years. She was “instrumental in the successful turnaround and subsequent 2008 spinoff of IAC Retail,” which became a stand-alone public company, HSNi. IAC Retail was comprised of HSN, the TV and digital shopping network, and Cornerstone Brands, a portfolio of catalogs, websites and retail locations, including Frontgate and Garnet Hill. Grossman reportedly grew HSNi into a “$4 billion retailer across multiple channels, including television, catalog, online, and mobile.

Before HSNi, Grossman was a global vice president at Nike, Inc. for five years, overseeing its $4 billion global apparel business and leading the development and growth of its women’s business. Earlier in her career, Grossman worked in leadership roles at Ralph Lauren, including as President of Chaps Ralph Lauren. She also held senior positions at Warnaco, Inc., Tommy Hilfiger and Oxford Industries.

Grossman has served on several public and private boards and charities. She is on the Board of Directors of Hungryroot, Fanatics, Inc., Herself Health, and the American Heart Association. She previously served on the Boards of Bloomin’ Brands, Vault Health and UNICEF, as chair of the National Retail Federation and as a Digital Economy Board of Advisors member for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Kirk Tanner has been the president and CEO of Wendy’s Co. and as a member of its Board since February 2024. Before that, he worked in leadership roles of increasing responsibility at PepsiCo, Inc. for over 30 years, including as CEO of PepsiCo Beverages North America, the $26 billion business unit, which accounts for approximately 30 percent of PepsiCo’s overall business; president and COO, North America Beverages; COO, North America Beverages; and president, Global Foodservice.

During his tenure at PepsiCo, Tanner was reported to be “instrumental in enhancing operational performance, accelerating revenue growth, incubating and launching new products, entering new markets, and forming strategic partnerships and transactions with major sports leagues and restaurant chains that propelled PepsiCo’s growth.

Tanner is actively involved with various civic organizations and serves as a member of the University of Utah – David Eccles School of Business advisory board.

“We are also excited to welcome Mindy and Kirk to the Board,” said Richard Carucci, chair of the VF Board. “Mindy and Kirk are proven leaders with extensive track records leading complex companies and supercharging the growth of global consumer brands through innovation, marketing and digital strategies. We look forward to benefiting from their insights as VF continues to improve execution and enhance innovation as part of its Reinvent strategy. These appointments represent further steps in VF’s refreshment process and reflect our continued constructive collaboration with VF shareholder Engaged Capital. With these appointments, VF has added five new directors to its Board within the past two years, including directors with valuable apparel and footwear experience.”

Carucci continued, “We are grateful to Benno for his contributions to VF over many years of service and particularly appreciate his work and impact as interim CEO prior to Bracken Darrell’s appointment. We thank Benno and extend to him our best wishes for the future.”

Glenn W. Welling, founder and CIO of Engaged Capital, said, “We are pleased to have worked with the VF Board on Mindy and Kirk’s appointments. VF shareholders will benefit from Mindy’s apparel and digital expertise and Kirk’s experience operating a multi-branded portfolio at the highest levels. We also are highly supportive of Caroline in her new management role. All three additions bring invaluable skills to the company and will play important roles in helping accelerate VF’s strategic and business transformation.”

Image courtesy VF Corporation