Foot Locker names new leaders
Foot Locker named new CEOs to lead the athletic retailer’s North America and International divisions.
President and CEO Richard Johnson announced the promotion of Stephen D. (Jake) Jacobs to the position of executive vice president and CEO of North America and Lewis P. Kimble to the position of executive VP and CEO of International, effective Feb. 29.
"Jake Jacobs and Lew Kimble have done exceptional work leading their respective teams in the execution of the key initiatives of our strategic plan, and in the process of doing so they have contributed tremendously to the outstanding financial performance we have achieved as a company over the last several years," Johnson said. "I am very pleased to announce the board's decision to recognize Jake's and Lew's leadership with these much-deserved promotions."
Jacobs, an 18 year veteran of the company, previously served as president and CEO of Foot Locker so in his new role as executive VP and CEO of North America the leaders of each of the company’s store division will now report to him. They include Andrew Gray, Foot Locker U.S. and Lady Foot Locker; Bryon Milburn, Champs Sports; Christopher Santaella, Kids Foot Locker; Kenneth Side, Footaction; Franklin Bracken, Foot Locker Canada; Natalie Ellis, SIX:02.
"Foot Locker, Inc.'s depth of talent around the globe is a tremendous strength, and I look forward to supporting each of these leaders in creating even stronger connections with our customers," Jacobs said. "Of particular note, we have created a new position focused on the development of our rapidly expanding Kids business, and separated the leadership of SIX:02 from Lady Foot Locker."
The company’s new international president and CEO, Lew Kimble, has been with the company for 40 years and began as a store associated in 1976. He has served as president and CEO of Foot Locker Europe since 2010 and prior to that was managing director of Foot Locker Asia/Pacific. The leader of each division outside North America will report to Kimble, including Nicholas Jones, Foot Locker and Kids Foot Locker Europe; Bart de Wilde, Runners Point and Sidestep; Phillip Laing, Foot Locker Asia/Pacific.
"Our new organizational structure will be a catalyst for us to deliver on our 2020 strategic initiative to aggressively pursue European expansion opportunities in both our stores and digital platforms," Kimble said. "I am deeply grateful for the opportunity the Board has given me to take on an even larger role in driving our international growth initiatives."
Foot Locker operates 3,383 stores in 23 countries as of Jan. 30.