Vera Bradley has reconfigured its leadership team with the appointment of Alison Hiatt to the newly-created job of Chief Marketing Officer and the removal of three high-level roles. Brand President Daren Hull, Chief Creative Officer Beatrice Mac Cabe and Chief Revenue Officer Mary Beth Trypus have all left the company following the elimination of their positions.
The goal of the executive realignment is to simplify Vera Bradley’s structure to “drive cost savings, add marketing and merchandising focus, and fuel long-term profitable growth,” according to a company press release. The organizational changes are expected to produce annualized savings of over $2 million, which will build on the $25 million in cost reductions identified and largely realized by the company in fiscal 2023.
“These decisions were made in order to right-size our leadership team and cost structure for the size of our business, to address the continuing challenging macro environment, and to best position us to achieve our long-term strategic plans,” said Jackie Ardrey, President and CEO of Vera Bradley in a statement.
The new structure also led to the creation of the SVP of Merchandising and Design role, which the retailer has yet to fill.
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Hiatt most recently served as CMO at Salt and Straw, where she helped expand the ice cream company over the last four years. She also has worked as the CMO at Banfield Pet Hospitals and held marketing positions with REI, Starbucks and Amazon.
“Alison will be a great addition to [Vera Bradley] with her extensive background as we elevate our focus on branding and continue to deliver a seamless digital and store commerce experience to our customers,” said Ardrey.
Vera Bradley has been streamlining its operations since August 2022, when it sold its retail startup goodMRKT to focus on its core banner and Pura Vida. The retailer has since doubled down on its investments in Pura Vida by acquiring the remaining 25% stake in the brand it didn’t take when the retailer took a controlling stake in the lifestyle brand in 2019.
