Columbus, Ohio — Designer Brands Inc., one of the world’s largest designers, producers and retailers of footwear and accessories, has planned a CEO transition. The company’s board of directors has appointed Doug Howe, president of DSW, to succeed Roger Rawlins as the company’s chief executive officer, effective April 1, 2023, at which time Rawlins will step down as CEO and as a member of the board of directors.
Rawlins will continue to work with the company for a 12-month period in a strategic advisor role to facilitate a seamless leadership transition. This transition is the direct result of the board of directors’ long term succession planning with respect to the CEO role.
“On behalf of the board of directors, I want to thank Roger for his leadership and unparalleled commitment to Designer Brands over the past 17 years,” says Jay Schottenstein, executive chairman of Designer Brands’ board of directors. “Roger has been at the forefront of Designer Brands’ transformation from a shoe retailer to a brand builder. From launching DSW.com, which now accounts for over $1 billion in demand, to leading the acquisition of our Canadian operations and integrating a world-class design, sourcing and wholesale business, Roger has been instrumental in leading Designer Brands and has set us up for success in achieving our long-range plan. As a result of a comprehensive succession plan, we are pleased to appoint Doug, a strategic thinker with demonstrated history of driving results in the industry, to CEO. His experience across brand building, including merchandising, marketing, design, development and planning give him the expertise needed to lead this next phase of Designer Brand’s growth. The board is looking forward to continuing this brand building journey with Doug’s leadership, and we are very excited for this next chapter.”
Howe has more than 30 years of experience in the retail industry with deep experience in vertical brand and direct-to-consumer growth and currently serves as president of DSW and executive vice president of Designer Brands. Doug also has extensive background working across digital retail channels, department stores and mass retailers. Howe joined the company in May 2022, after 4 years as chief merchandising officer at Kohl’s, where he was responsible for buying, planning, product design and development, sourcing and merchandising transformation efforts. Prior to Kohl’s, he was the global chief merchandising officer at Qurate Retail Group, leading QVC’s and HSN’s product leadership agenda. Howe also held leadership roles at Gap Inc. including product design and development of vertical brands, various merchandise leadership roles at Walmart, including senior vice president of product development, strategy, design and development, and several senior merchandising positions at May Department Stores.
With Howe’s and Rawlins’ assistance, management will conduct a comprehensive search to identify the next president of DSW.
“I want to thank Jay and Joey Schottenstein and our board of directors for the opportunity provided to me to lead this outstanding organization. It has been a privilege to lead Designer Brands on its journey to becoming a brand builder, and I am confident in Doug’s experience, leadership and commitment to continue that path,” says Rawlins. “After 17 years with this organization and 7 years as CEO, I am proud of the company we have built, pleased with our accomplishments and humbled by the fantastic team with whom I’ve had the honor of working.”
Designer Brands is one of the world’s largest designers, producers and retailers of the most recognizable footwear brands and accessories. Through its portfolio of world-class owned brands, Designer Brands operates nearly 650 stores across the U.S. and Canada under the banner names DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse and The Shoe Company. For more information, visit www.designerbrands.com.
SOURCE: Designer Brands