Key Takeaways:
- The new brand role spans marketing, creative, store experience and community.
- A former Boston Consulting Group partner will help shape long-term strategic planning.
- Chief Executive Officer Heidi O’Neill is still filling two more top roles in her new leadership structure.
Lululemon Athletica Inc. named Ben Hallam Chief Brand Officer, effective Nov. 9. Hallam most recently served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.
He will join the Vancouver, British Columbia-based company’s senior leadership team and report to Chief Executive Officer Heidi O’Neill.
Lululemon also named Emily Sunderland Chief Strategy Officer, effective Nov. 23. Sunderland was a Managing Director and Partner at Boston Consulting Group and will report to Chief Financial Officer Meghan Frank.
“Ben brings an exceptional combination of creative vision, commercial discipline, and experience transforming iconic, premium brands at scale,” O’Neill said in a statement.
Hallam has 20 years of global brand and marketing leadership experience across luxury hospitality, consumer technology and global consumer brands. At Lululemon, he will lead global brand marketing, brand creative, store experience and community, including sports marketing, partnerships and social impact.
“Lululemon is an extraordinary brand with a strong heritage of innovation and a meaningful connection with its community,” Hallam said in a statement. “I’m excited to build on those strengths, bringing together compelling brand storytelling and premium, distinctive experiences that make Lululemon even more relevant for guests around the world.”
Sunderland advised global consumer businesses on enterprise growth strategy and transformation at Boston Consulting Group. She has expertise in activewear, apparel and specialty retail.
She will play an important role in developing Lululemon’s long-term strategy, identifying future growth opportunities and strengthening strategic planning.
Searches continue for a Chief Technology Officer and a Chief Communications Officer.
Building Out the New Structure
The hires follow an Oct. 7 announcement that reorganized Lululemon’s senior leadership. The company named Maggie Gauger to the newly created role of President & Chief Product Officer and Joseph Godsey to the newly created role of Chief Operating Officer, both effective Oct. 26.
Gauger was President and CEO of Athleta and previously spent more than two decades at Nike. Godsey was Chief Growth Officer of Walmart Canada.
In the same announcement, Lululemon said Chief Brand & Product Activation Officer Nikki Neuburger and Chief Supply Chain Officer Ted Dagnese would leave the company Nov. 6. Frank took on interim oversight of the global brand and technology functions until a new Chief Brand Officer and Chief Technology Officer are in place.
“Lululemon is a rare, extraordinary brand, but we have work to do to build a stronger and more competitive company,” O’Neill said in a statement at the time.
O’Neill’s First Months
O’Neill became CEO Sept. 8, after the board named her to the post in April. She spent more than 25 years at Nike, most recently as President, Consumer, Product & Brand. Frank and President & Chief Commercial Officer André Maestrini served as interim co-CEOs before her arrival.
In a message to employees on her first day, O’Neill said the company’s next chapter starts with product that is innovative and distinctive.
“We know the last year has been hard, and I’m not going to pretend otherwise,” she said in the message.
A Former Product Chief Joins the Board
On Oct. 22, Lululemon announced that Tara Poseley, its Chief Product Officer from 2013 to 2015, had joined the board effective Oct. 19. Poseley was most recently CEO of Paula’s Choice Skincare, from 2016 to 2023.
Her appointment expanded the board to 13 directors, 12 of them independent. It came under a cooperation agreement Lululemon signed May 26 with founder Dennis J. “Chip” Wilson.
“Her appointment is another positive step toward strengthening the company’s product-first vision and creating long-term value for shareholders,” Wilson said in a statement.
