IAIN NAIRN NAMED PRESIDENT AT HUDSON’S BAY

Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) has named Iain Nairn as president of Hudson’s Bay, effective January 12th. A highly-accomplished retail executive, Nairn has a track record of driving profitable growth and transformational change at a wide variety of retailers, from specialty to department store formats. He reports directly to Helena Foulkes, the CEO of HBC.

“We took time to conduct a thorough, worldwide search to ensure we found the right person to lead the business and steward the Hudson’s Bay brand,” said Foulkes. “Iain brings strong leadership, sharp focus and in-depth expertise that I believe will make a positive impact on Hudson’s Bay. To date, the team has made great strides in fixing the fundamentals, evolving our service model and elevating our merchandise assortment. There is a tremendous opportunity in Canada to deliver an outstanding customer experience and I am excited to work with Iain to elevate the brand and drive performance for future success.”

Most recently, Nairn was CEO of kikki.K, a global Swedish design and stationery business, with 102 namesake stores and e-commerce, and product lines available in over 147 countries worldwide. Previously, Nairn was CEO of David Jones, Australia’s leading premium omnichannel department store chain, where he increased profitability and delivered comp store sales growth in his first year. Before joining David Jones, he was chief executive of Country Road Group for two years and CEO of Witchery Group for six years.

“Few brands have such a strong awareness and connection with customers as does Hudson’s Bay, and I am thrilled to join such an iconic retail institution,” Nairn added. “I am looking forward to working with the team and building on the great work that has been underway to evolve the Hudson’s Bay experience across all channels.”

Originally from the U.K., Nairn has worked in multiple markets, including Australia, New Zealand, the U.K. Europe, Asia, and South Africa.