Geoffroy van Raemdonck, a veteran of both the luxury fashion and retail business, most recently with Ralph Lauren, has been appointed as the new CEO of Neiman Marcus Group. He will take over the reins from Karen Katz on February 12, 2018. Katz will continue to serve on the Company’s Board of Directors and will work closely with van Raemdonck to facilitate a seamless transition process.

The Group said that the appointment is part of a long-term leadership succession planning process to ensure continued growth and evolution of the Company.

David Kaplan, Chairman of the Board commented, “As CEO, Karen helped establish Neiman Marcus as a digital leader in luxury fashion and retail and put the Company on a path for long-term growth. We are extremely grateful for her vision and significant contributions, which have spanned over 30 years at the Company, including the last seven as CEO, and look forward to continuing our work together on the Board.”

He added, “We are thrilled to welcome Geoffroy to Neiman Marcus and look forward to extending the Company’s positive momentum under his leadership. He is a global industry leader and business builder with exceptional vision and energy. The entire board is confident that Geoffroy’s leadership will add significant value to the Company, our partners and our customers.”

Just prior to joining Neiman Marcus, van Raemdonck served as Group President for EMEA and Global Travel Retail at Ralph Lauren, where he led the transformation of all Ralph Lauren brands across full and off-price stores, wholesale and digital. Previously, he served as CEO at St. John Knits International, Inc., and, prior to that, held a variety of global leadership roles at Louis Vuitton from 2008 to 2013. Earlier in his career, van Raemdonck held executive leadership positions at L Brands, Inc. He began his career at Boston Consulting Group, where he spent nearly a decade developing and implementing growth strategies on behalf of consumer and brand-driven clients. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago, and a Master of Business and Sciences from the Université catholique de Louvain in Belgium.

Katz, during her tenure at the top, introduced Neiman Marcus to new customers and deepened relationships with the Company’s core shopper, while establishing Neiman Marcus as the leader in luxury online retail. She led the implementation of the Company’s Digital First strategy, which continues to drive growth. Currently, the Company’s online business represents more than 30% of total revenues. Most recently, investments made in new technologies and marketing tools drove a marked improvement in the first fiscal quarter of 2018, with comparable sales rising for the first time in more than two years.

“It has been a unique privilege serving as CEO, and I am proud of the substantial progress and success our team has achieved,” Katz said.

Said van Raemdonck, “I look forward to working closely with the leadership team, the Company’s 14,000 employees globally and our luxury brand partners as we continue to innovate and engage our loyal customers in new ways.”

Pic caption: Geoffroy van Raemdonck
Courtesy: Neiman Marcus