• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, June 18, 2007

Eddie Bauer, which has been hunting for a new CEO for months, named Neil S. Fiske its new turnaround man. Fiske, currently CEO of Limited Brands' Bath & Body Works, is scheduled to start in July.

Fiske is considered to be an expert at brand transformation, who took Bath & Body Works from declining sales to record profits, and also established its successful e-commerce and catalog business. He was recognized as "Marketer of the Year" and "Retailer of the Year" in 2004 and 2005 by Women's Wear Daily.

Before that, Fiske was best known as a marketing guru: While at Boston Consulting Group he co-authored "Trading Up: The New American Luxury," which won the American Marketing Association's Newberry award for best marketing book.

Eddie Bauer has struggled in recent years. In 2005, it became a stand-alone company, following the bankruptcy of owner Spiegel Corp., and has been refocusing its merchandise in an effort to win back customers.

Limited promoted Diane Neal to CEO of B&BW. Neal joined the company late last year as chief operating officer from the Gap, but has also worked at Target and Mervyn's. The company recently reported that for May, the beauty chain's same-store sales--a measure watched closely by retail insiders--fell 3%.

Limited also named Bill May chief operating officer of Victoria's Secret Stores. May had been at Payless ShoeSource, as well as stints at Tween Brands and Gap.