SAKS FIFTH AVENUE STORES WELCOMES KATHLEEN SHEA AS VP, TRAVEL & TOURISM STRATEGY

by John Russel Jones Aug 23, 2022

SFA, the entity that owns and operates Saks Fifth Avenue stores, has appointed Kathleen Shea to the newly created role of Vice President, Travel and Tourism Strategy. Ms. Shea brings a wealth of tourism industry knowledge, with more than 20 years of senior sales and marketing experience within luxury travel. 

John Antonini, Senior Vice President, Director of Stores, SFA, said, “With the resurgence of global tourism, we are thrilled to have Kathleen on our team focusing her expertise on further positioning Saks Fifth Avenue stores as the premier luxury shopping destinations for travelers. Demonstrated by Kathleen’s proven track record of driving record-setting results for top-tier hospitality brands, I am confident in her ability to build additional innovative relationships across the industry as we expand our market share among international visitors to North America.”

Ms. Shea previously served as Vice President of Sales at SaksWorks, a flexible and elevated life and work spaces business. Prior to that, she held leadership roles at both the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group and TAJ Hotels Resorts and Palaces where she was responsible for increasing market share and property engagement throughout North America and Latin America, as well as at Canyon Ranch and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. During her tenure with both the Mandarin Oriental and Four Seasons, Ms. Shea worked to establish new properties in the U.S. and overseas, experience that will prove invaluable as she works to drive SFA Stores’ brand recognition in key international markets. 

Ms. Shea added, “SFA already maintains an impressive network of Saks Fifth Avenue store locations across North America’s major shopping markets and I am energized by the opportunity to ensure that we remain destinations of choice for travelers. I look forward to drawing upon my previous experience and working with John and our talented team to further advance SFA’s position as a major attraction for luxury shoppers.”