Leslie Meier

Accomplished Chief Executive with strategic leadership skills and seasoned experience in the Consumer Goods Industry across multiple categories but spotlighting fashion and trend as area of specialization, providing opportunistic perspectives and proven dynamic practices– wholesale, retail, multi-tier brand channel building, domestic and global distributorship contracts, brand licensing for product category leverage and expansion, multi-location merchandising and event coordination, omni channel l launches, ecommerce, direct to consumer and social media. Manage, coach, develop, teach, and grow teams, their brands and an organization to achieve a clear statement in the marketplace while directing targeted revenue growth to P & L through budget finance roadmap, SGA reduction, trend analysis, revenue goals and profit maximization beyond sales targets. Partnerships driving collaboration while finding the marketplace whitespace to expand brand footprints in a multi-channel marketplace.

Coordination with operations, vertical, sourced manufacturing, leading production, lean A3 process, design, merchandising, packaging, demand planning, account data analysis, marketing & sales teams for maximization of supply pipeline timing and inventory demand to full multi-location potential with training & developing teams on customer retention organically and whitespace.

Executive Profile

Accomplished Chief Executive with strategic leadership skills and seasoned experience in the Consumer Goods Industry across multiple categories providing opportunistic perspectives and proven dynamic practices– wholesale, retail, multi-tier brand channel building, domestic and global distributorship contracts, brand licensing for product category leverage and expansion, multi-location merchandising and event coordination, omni channel l launches, ecommerce, direct to consumer and social media. Manage, coach, develop, teach, and grow teams, their brands and an organization to achieve a clear statement in the marketplace while directing targeted revenue growth to P & L through budget finance roadmap, SGA reduction, trend analysis, revenue goals and profit maximization beyond sales targets. Partnerships driving collaboration while finding the marketplace whitespace to expand brand footprints in a multi-channel marketplace.

Coordination with operations, vertical, sourced manufacturing, leading production, lean A3 process, design, merchandising, packaging, demand planning, account data analysis, marketing & sales teams for maximization of supply pipeline timing and inventory demand to full multi-location potential with training & developing teams on customer retention organically and whitespace.

Skills

Business Strategy Formulation &

• Execution, Innovative Selling Skills, Advanced Influencing and Negotiation Skills, Creative Presentation &

• Public Speaking, Advanced Account Management, P &

• L Management, Budget Management, Market Development, Store Planograms, Executive Leadership, Large &

• Small Scale Organization Restructuring, Team Building, Business Development, Customer Retention, Strategic Relationships, Financial Analysis &

• Reporting, Pricing &

• Promotion Strategies, Buying &

• Marketing Plans for Accounts, Strategic Planning and Execution, Multi-Channel Management Skills, Cross-Functional Team Leadership, Sales Operations, Ecommerce, Omni-Channel, Consumer Goods Industry, Product Launch, Data Analysis, Critical Thinking, Competitive Analysis, Licensing, Sourcing, Logistics, Marketing, Merchandising, PIM/PXM, AI Strategy, .

Experience

2019-Present WestPoint Home – Ichan Enterprises Chief Commercial Officer / Senior Vice President Sales

• Global Executive Leadership and C-Suite Team Member for WestPoint Home -Vision Worldwide.
• Global team of 40 to implement a new B2C and B2B sales strategy, resulting in a 30% increase in revenue over budget.
• Dynamic marketplace navigation through leadership of complete commercial team – Sales, Distributorships, Licensing, Design, Merchandising, Production, Vertical Manufacturing Planning (Bahrain & Chipley FL), Sourced Goods Global Strategy Management (China, Pakistan, India), Marketing, Inventory Demand Planning & Management System/POS Data Navigation, Customer Service, P & L, Budget Finance Driven, SGA Reduction, Hospitality, Spearheaded and developed Global Overseas Office team and (Pakistan). Built strategies in marketing, ecommerce, planning and customer service, Warehouse utilization /slotting strategies, In-house photo studio build in GCC offsetting over $500k in SGA spends in the first year, Contract Manufacturing for Ralph Lauren as only Strategic Supplier Badge Holder in Home Division and many other private label/owned brands across the marketplace.

Licensed

Brands and Licensing.

• Driving and collaborating with the account executives to leverage the afore-mentioned strategic backbone of the business to organically grow core plan-o-gram businesses while disrupting the marketplace with collections, brands and product lines that fill the white space and consumer trends without duplicating their current footprint.
• Actioned and executed channel based go to market strategies for multi-brand, multi-location and product line within the pyramid of good, better, best to tier pricing structures without duplication and maximize profitability – produced gross margin double digits improvement for the organization with the team by changing the account base, aligning product and rethinking how goods were sourced to point them to our vertically owned factories minimizing the sourced factory resulting in margin production 20-35% net while reducing SGA over the past 3 years by over $2.0M.
• Developed and launched the ecommerce footprint driven by SEO, AI, Helium10, Google Analytics, Amazon campaigns, and social media through Instagram campaigns to increase revenue by 20% and margins by 15% while engineering the changing mix and reduction through controlling ROAS and TACOS.
• Fully Proficient and integrate the use of Outlook, Excel, Word, PPT, AI, ChatGPT, CoPilot, Claud.
• Joined the global organization as the SVP reporting to the CEO and as a chair member of the global leadership team in 2019 with the initiative of carving out and curing a commercial business that was unprofitable resulting in driving EBITDA goals to achievement. Carried the company’s revenue stream during the pandemic above budget while the hospitality sector was on lockdown to the level of also achieving 100% of EBITDA goals for 2020. Met EBITDA goals globally delivering over $4M with organization consistently in the next 4 years.
• HPFA Board Member – 2022 – Present

2017-2019 Anne Klein /Nine West Holdings/Steve Madden - Vice President Anne Klein

• Managed brand turnaround in first year to improve top line sales projection by 10% to achieve budget while improving profits by $3.0M to achieve EBITDA to forecast budget plan on sales volume of $110 M.
• Consistently exceeded partnership sales plans while maintaining internal margin/dilution expectations with key department stores: Macys, Lord & Taylor, Belk, HBC, Von Maur, Boscov’s.
• Exceed Sales and Margin goals with Mid-Tier Accounts while managing above targets to internal budget margin production. Key partnerships include DSW top 10 strategic vendor, Burlington, Ross, TJ Maxx, Macys Backstage, Nordstrom Rack while coordinating international sales and assortment planning globally.
• Key Ecommerce partnerships Amazon, Zappos, Shoes.com, and all department store websites.
• Direct design team to focus trends, constructions and classifications for Mainline and Mid-Tier accounts to maximize full brand footprint while staying true to brand DNA and maintaining intrinsic brand value position.
• Collaborate with the production and merchandising team to manage internal margin goals through product engineering for price including Mainline & Mid-tier while balancing account margin targets in both channels.
• Manage marketing initiatives with accounts to maximize our brand footprint digitally, socially & print vehicles while realizing 15% savings to budget internally.
• Manage Inventory ownership for Key Items, Locker stock, core replenishment and ATS to planned levels and margin expectations. Included management of Direct-to-Consumer Warehouse stock control and processes.
• Direct, create & plan store coordinator program to maximize key door performance and brand statements with strategic partners, brand licenses, and global distributorships worldwide for the brand.
• Strategically partnered with Nine West Holdings & Steve Madden to transition the brand into a licensed brand for Steve Madden mid-year 2018 while continuing momentum from 2017 into 2018 with accounts exceeding revenue plans.

2006-2017 New York Transit, Inc /Will Rich Shoe Company LLC New York, NY

Group Vice President Sales Adrienne Vittadini, Taryn Rose, Maxstudio, Leon Max Licensed Sales Division

 Lead team for Macy’s, Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor, Belk, Neiman Marcus Direct, Saks, Amazon, Zappos, Maxstudio Retail, DTC, BTC Ecommerce and Specialty Store Group.

 Adrienne Vittadini sales +60% Macys while driving SGA reduction in 2016, 100% sales growth for Zappos with maintained account gross margin 57%, 150% sales increase for Amazon year 2016. 150% growth in the specialty store base through financial planning, budget & forecasting to create strategic sales opportunities for organic volume and profit growth while working with accounts and account executives as business partners to maximize relationships and consistent revenue growth. Driven by trend, market analysis, design, merchandising classification /key item, identification of white space in market segment by working to maximize with the sales executives and planning teams.

 Multi-Channel leadership Mid-Tier Management, Government, Closeouts & DI/POE programs

 New License launch through market positioning of Taryn Rose with Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Better Specialty stores with creation of a coordinator program to maximize brand message, presentation and sales within key account base including a National Advertising & Editorial Fashion Initiative for Footwear division with National Fashion publications.

2004-2006 The North Face – VF Corporation Director, Sales New York, NY/San Francisco, CA large sales team (6 agencies; 60 team members nationally) for Men’s, Women’s & Children’s Outerwear, Sportswear, Footwear, Equipment and Accessories within multiple channels of distribution.

 Development and implementation of strategic sales initiatives, product direction, development of account planning tools to maximize geographic location and distribution planning, and financial analysis to exceed planned sales and profitability.

 Created visual merchandising staff, in store brand footprints with national & key account advertising while increasing sales 23.4% to $385M in North America; $553M Globally. Operating income grew 40% to 18% of Sales in the 1st Year; doubled Macy’s bookings in 1st year through strategic category expansion and department door count alignments.

Macys

Department and buyer of the year awarded 2005.

1999-2003 Johnston & Murphy – Genesco Director, Sales New York, NY

 Lead national sales team across all channels of distribution in Department stores, Big Box multi-location chains, Government, Clubs, Ecommerce. Domestic and imported. #1 Brand Lord & Taylor, Largest vendor shop Macys Herald Square & 1 brand in Macys with $2.0M in sales. Mid-Tier Account development of DSW all doors $4.0M.

 Financial planning, forecasting, key accounts, budgets, asset allocation, strategic, persistent, persuasive techniques driving productivity & profitability of brand while merchandising, providing trend and competitive direction for seasonal assortments of the collection with product team to expand lifestyle statement in all classifications.

 Sales Overdrive Consistent- Macy’s +22.5%, Platinum Service Award highest % growth volume. Achieving 38% increase with Macy’s in Year one - assortment planning, door analysis, financial planning, technical training and specialty account growth 80% building store shops, marketing, technical support and training.

Michigan State University East Lansing, MI - Bachelor of Science, Business & Fashion Merchandising Management Analytics, Production, Planning, Advertising, Marketing, Economics, Retail Math, Design, Fashion/Consumer Trends.