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Power Moves | Louise Wilson’s Successor, Apple Hires Saint Laurent and Nike Execs, Rao to Intermix

BoF compiles the most important professional moves of the week.
Fabio Piras has been appointed the new MA Fashion course director at Central Saint Martins | Source: Courtesy
By
  • Kati Chitrakorn

LONDON, United Kingdom – BoF compiles the most important professional moves of the week.

St Martins Names Successor to Louise Wilson

Central Saint Martins has named Fabio Piras as the successor to MA Fashion Course director Professor Louise Wilson, effective immediately. Piras, who is a Central Saint Martins alumnus, worked previously with Wilson on the course as a womenswear tutor and was the acting course director after Wilson passed away in May. Piras has worked for 20 years in the industry, in both creative direction and consultancy for luxury fashion brands in Europe and China, as well as showing his own eponymous label during London Fashion Week from 1994 until 2000. In a statement, Central Saint Martins said: "Fabio's vision will build on Louise's legacy of creative excellence and will shape a new era for MA Fashion education at CSM."

Apple Hires Saint Laurent and Nike Execs
Catherine Monier, previously the European president and retail head at Saint Laurent, and Musa Tariq, formerly global senior director of social media and community at Nike, have both joined Apple, making them the latest executives at the tech giant to be poached from fashion and apparel companies. Former Saint Laurent CEO Paul Deneve has been with Apple for about a year, working on 'special projects,' and is understood to have been involved in bringing in Monier. Monier and Deneve will reportedly join forces to revamp Apple's retail stores in preparation for the company's much-anticipated plans to launch a wearable technology device. Meanwhile, Tariq has been hired as Apple's digital marketing director. Prior to Nike, Tariq was global director of social media marketing at Burberry, where he enjoyed a close working relationship with Angela Ahrendts, formerly CEO of Burberry and now Apple's head of retail.

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Intermix Names President
Fashion retailer Intermix, owned by Gap Inc, has named Jyothi Rao president and general manager. Rao will begin her new role on September 2 and will report to Art Peck, president of Gap Inc's growth, innovation and digital division. She will also work closely with Khajak Keledjian, founder and chief executive of Intermix. Rao joins Intermix from Gilt Groupe, where she was executive vice president and general manager. According to Gap, Rao will "drive growth plans, nurture vendors and customers, and preserve the quality of client services at their favourite local stores." Prior to Gilt, Rao served as senior vice president and general manager of Calvin Klein.

Jeff Bergin Joins Hearst
Hearst Newspapers has tapped Jeff Bergin as vice president of vertical strategy development. Bergin, who will be based in San Francisco, will report to Hearst Newspapers president Mark Aldam and be responsible for identifying "contemporary solutions to meet recruitment, real estate and automotive customer needs," according to the company. Previously, Bergin served as senior vice president of advertising sales for the San Francisco Chronicle, a post he has held since 2009. He also worked as vice president of national sales and advertising strategy at rival company Gannett for eight years, starting in 2001.

Timberland Taps Brand President
Global outdoor lifestyle brand Timberland has appointed Stewart Whitney as brand president, effective October 5th. Whitney, who has helped the label's growth in the Asia Pacific region since 2008, will report to Patrik Frisk, who held the position since the brand's acquisition by VF in 2011. In April, Frisk was promoted to coalition president of Outdoor Americas for VF. Prior to leading Timberland's Asia business arm, Whitney was part of the global marketing team, where he undertook leadership roles in product, sales and general management. A native of Michigan, Whitney and his family will relocate from Hong Kong to New Hampshire this fall.

To explore exciting fashion industry career opportunities, visit BoF Careers, the global marketplace for fashion talent.

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