HBC NAMES VANESSA LEFEBVRE PRESIDENT OF LORD & TAYLOR

Toronto-based retailer Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) has appointed Vanessa LeFebvre as president of Lord & Taylor, effective May 22. She will report directly to Helena Foulkes, CEO of HBC. LeFebvre replaces outgoing Lord & Taylor president Liz Rodbell and will take the lead on Lord & Taylor’s evolution in reimagining the regional department store model.

LeFebvre joins HBC from online retailer Stitch Fix, where she was responsible for setting strategy and merchandising direction for women’s, the primary business for the company. After spending the first 10 years of her career as a buyer and DMM at Lord & Taylor, LeFebvre went on to senior roles at several retailers including Macy’s, TJX Companies and Daffy’s. At Macy’s, LeFebvre was the principal architect of Macy’s Backstage division, which she built into a multi-concept operation, including store within store concepts, during her tenure.

“Vanessa is a change agent with a track record of conceptualizing and building new lines of business,” said Foulkes. “This, combined with her strong experience leading digitally-focused strategies and understanding of department store retailing, makes her the right person to lead Lord & Taylor into the future. I am very pleased to welcome Vanessa back to the Lord & Taylor family where she began her career.”

“This is an exciting time to join Lord & Taylor as we evolve our model and merchandise assortment to best meet customer expectations and shopping preferences,” said LeFebvre. “Beginning my career in fashion and retail at Lord & Taylor, I have always had a passion for the brand. I am incredibly proud to return to my roots and thrilled about the opportunity to lead the Lord & Taylor organization.”