HUDSON’S BAY VICE CHAIR BONNIE BROOKS TO RETIRE

by Stephen Garner
Bonnie Brooks
Bonnie Brooks

Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) has announced that Bonnie Brooks, vice chair of HBC, will retire on December 31. Brooks’s retirement culminates an illustrious 40-year career in fashion retail and marketing, including more than eight years at HBC. From 2008-2012 she was the first female CEO and president of Hudson’s Bay during the transformation of the banner in Canada.

“It has been a privilege to work with the team at Hudson’s Bay Company, a true company of adventurers,” said Brooks. “We have seen tremendous change since I joined the company, and I am incredibly proud of what we accomplished together. I look forward to watching the continued success of HBC.”

Brooks’s career included 12 years at Holt Renfrew where she led the retailer’s merchandising and marketing functions, followed by 11 years in Hong Kong and the reinvention of the Lane Crawford department stores in Asia. In 2008, Brooks returned to Canada to join HBC as CEO and president of Hudson’s Bay, later becoming president of the Department Store Group in 2012 with the integration of Lord & Taylor. Publicly and professionally recognized for her many roles in fashion retail, she was the Parsons School of Design Honoree in 2013 and was awarded the Ivey Business Leader of the Year in Canada in 2014.

“Bonnie has been a very strong leader who, from day one, was integral to the reinvention of Hudson’s Bay,” said Richard Baker, governor and executive chairman of HBC. “We are extremely grateful for her contributions to the company and wish her well in her retirement.”