• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, January 17, 2023

Neiman Marcus is adding to its senior ranks, hiring Nabil Aliffi as chief brand officer, and promoting Stefanie Tsen Ward to chief retail officer. Both are new positions.

A spokesperson for the Dallas-based luxury retailer also tells Marketing Daily that Daz McColl, chief marketing officer since 2020, is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities, and "at this time, he will not be replaced."

Aliffi joins Neiman Marcus from Soho House & Co, a private members social club, where he had been global chief creative officer, overseeing creative vision, services and digital membership offering. He's also worked for Selfridges and Urban Outfitters. He was both a co-founder and editor of Vulture Magazine, which follows Singapore and London's fashion and culture scene.

Tsen Ward rises to chief retail officer from senior vice president, customer engagement, where she has overseen activations in its 36 stores. She joined the company in 2018 after holding similar roles at Sephora and Louis Vuitton. The company says she will continue to focus on its integrated approach to retail, arming its sales associates with better ways to serve luxury customers.

Both executives will report to president Ryan Ross, who joined the retailer in August. Most recently, he had been president of Williams Sonoma.

The beefed-up C-suite comes as the company continues its turnaround. The retailer, which also owns Bergdorf Goodman, filed for bankruptcy in May 2020 and emerged from Chapter 11 in September of that year. A consortium of investment firms, including Sixth Street Partners, now owns it.

And Farfetch, the global luxury platform, invested $200 million in Neiman Marcus last spring to accelerate its digital capabilities.

The company says its new approach is working. In a presentation at last week's ICR Conference, Neiman Marcus Group chief executive Geoffroy van Raemdonck told investors that the company has continued to gain momentum over the last 18 months.

The company ended its latest fiscal year with $5 billion in gross merchandise value and a 30% rise in comparable sales. And even with the volatility of the last six months, it posted a 6% gain in the previous quarter.

He also detailed the commitment of its core shoppers, with just 2% of customers driving 40% of revenues. About 80% pay full price and 35% are either millennials or Gen Z, he said. "This business is resilient."