COLUMBUS, Ohio, Aug. 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Designer Brands Inc.
(NYSE: DBI) (the "Company" and "Designer Brands"), one of the
world's largest designers, producers and retailers of footwear and
accessories, announces the appointment of John W. Atkinson as a member of its Board of
Directors, effective August 1, 2024.
Mr. Atkinson was also named a member of both the Audit Committee
and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.
"I am thrilled to have John join our Board as we accelerate the
growth of Designer Brands while driving efficiencies across our
brand-building journey," said Jay
Schottenstein, Chairman of the Board, Designer Brands. "His
extensive expertise as a strategic financial counselor will be
fundamental to guiding our path to deliver on our strategic
commitments. Additionally, his background in CPG and retail
accounting will help focus the investments we make to attract new
customers and offer the best footwear brands."
"John will be a valuable addition to the Designer Brands Board,
and our leadership team looks forward to his insights," said
Doug Howe, Chief Executive Officer
of Designer Brands. "We remain fully focused on continuous
improvement, both in our organization's agility and in the
profitability of our overall business. John brings deep retail and
financial expertise that we expect to deliver quick and lasting
impact on those goals."
Mr. Atkinson is a retired audit partner from KPMG's Cincinnati
Office, a multinational professional services network and one of
the Big Four accounting organizations. Mr. Atkinson joined KPMG in
2002 after 16 years at Arthur Andersen, where he became a partner
in 1998. Before retiring in 2021 with over 35 years of experience
as an audit professional, Mr. Atkinson served as the lead audit
partner for a range of public and private businesses, primarily in
the consumer food and retail sectors, including multiple fortune
500 companies.
Before he retired, Mr. Atkinson was named Retail National Audit
Industry Leader and was involved in discussions regarding the
impact of the Retail Inventory Method. He also served as KPMG's
partner in charge of Audit Risk Management for the Mid-America
business unit and was a designated Securities and Exchange
Commission ("SEC") reviewing partner. The scope of his
responsibilities in these roles spanned client acceptance and
retention decisions, partner assignments, fraud
investigations and reviewing SEC regulations for a number of
publicly traded clients.
In retirement, Mr. Atkinson has been serving as a consultant for
KPMG, leading the charge of evaluating the Firm's global learning
and development execution and resource requirements, resulting in a
new strategic five-year plan.
Furthermore, Mr. Atkinson, a former Captain in the U.S. Army
Reserves and a veteran of the Persian Gulf War (Operation Desert
Storm), served in various leadership roles, including platoon
leader in charge of a 53-person platoon, executive officer in an
Artillery unit and staff officer for an area support group.
About Designer Brands
Designer Brands is one of the world's largest designers,
producers and retailers of the most recognizable footwear brands
and accessories, transforming and defining the footwear industry
through a mission of inspiring self-expression. With a diversified,
world-class portfolio of coveted brands, including Crown Vintage,
Hush Puppies, Jessica Simpson, Keds,
Kelly & Katie, Lucky Brand, Mix No. 6, Topo Athletic,
Vince Camuto and others, Designer
Brands designs and produces on-trend footwear and accessories for
all of life's occasions delivered to the consumer through a robust
direct-to-consumer omni-channel infrastructure and powerful
national wholesale distribution. Powered by a billion-dollar
digital commerce business across multiple domains and 675 DSW
Designer Shoe Warehouse, The Shoe Co., and Rubino stores in
North America, Designer Brands
delivers current, in-line footwear and accessories from the largest
national brands in the industry and holds leading market share
positions in key product categories across Women's, Men's and
Kids'. Designer Brands also distributes its brands internationally
through select wholesale and distributor relationships while also
leveraging design and sourcing expertise to build private label
products for national retailers. Designer Brands is committed to
being a difference maker in the world, taking steps forward to
advance diversity, equity and inclusion in the footwear industry
and supporting a global community and the health of the planet by
donating more than nine million pairs of shoes to the global
non-profit Soles4Souls since 2018. To learn more, visit
www.designerbrands.com.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995
Certain statements in this press release may constitute
forward-looking statements and are made pursuant to the safe harbor
provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
You can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of
forward-looking words such as "outlook," "could," "believes,"
"expects," "potential," "may," "will," "should," "would,"
"approximately," "plans," "estimates," "anticipates," "targets," or
the negative version of those words or other comparable words.
These statements are based on the Company's current views and
expectations and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties,
and other factors that may cause actual results, performance, or
achievements to be materially different from any future results,
performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the
forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not
limited to: uncertain general economic and financial conditions,
including recession concerns, fluctuating interest rates,
inflationary pressures, and the related impacts to consumer
discretionary spending, as well as our ability to plan for and
respond to the impact of these conditions; our ability to
anticipate and respond to rapidly changing consumer preferences,
seasonality, customer expectations and fashion trends; our ability
to maintain strong relationships with our vendors, manufacturers,
licensors, and retailer customers; risks related to losses or
disruptions associated with our distribution systems, including our
distribution centers and stores, whether as a result of reliance on
third-party providers or otherwise; our ability to retain our
existing management team, and continue to attract qualified new
personnel; risks related to cyber security threats and privacy or
data security breaches or the potential loss or disruption of our
information technology ("IT") systems; risks related to the
implementation of new or updated IT systems; our reliance on our
loyalty programs and marketing to drive traffic, sales, and
customer loyalty; our ability to protect our reputation and to
maintain the brands we license; our competitiveness with respect to
style, price, brand availability, and customer service; risks
related to our international operations and reliance on foreign
sources for merchandise; our ability to comply with privacy laws
and regulations, as well as other legal obligations; risks
associated with climate change and other corporate responsibility
issues; and uncertainties related to future legislation, regulatory
reform, policy changes, or interpretive guidance on existing
legislation. Risks and other factors that could cause our actual
results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements
are described in the Company's latest Annual Report on Form 10-K or
other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
All forward-looking statements speak only as of the time when made.
Except as may be required by applicable law, the Company undertakes
no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements
included in this press release to reflect any future events or
circumstances.
For further information:
Media: Inspire PR for Designer Brands
Katie Lundy
Katie@inspireproup.com
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SOURCE Designer Brands, Inc.
