Victoria’s Secret & Co. (VS&Co) has named Anthropologie and Savage x Fenty veteran Hillary Super as its new CEO and member of the board, effective Sept. 9, 2024. Current CEO Martin Waters, who has helmed the company since late 2020, will step down and Chief Financial and Administrative Officer Timothy Johnson will fill the role on an interim basis until Super takes over in the fall. Waters will remain on as an advisor through the end of August to ensure a smooth transition.
Super brings nearly three decades of retail merchant expertise and a successful track record leading brands at the highest level, most recently as CEO of Rhianna’s intimates and accessories brand Savage X Fenty. Previously, Super was the Global CEO of Anthropologie Group, where she led the turnaround of that retailer’s women’s apparel and accessories business. She also has held a variety of merchandising and operator roles at retailers including Guess?, American Eagle Outfitters, Gap and Ann Taylor.
“VS&Co welcomes Hillary as our new CEO to power the business’ next chapter and deliver the foremost tenet of our transformation strategy: accelerating growth in our core business in North America,” said Donna James, Chair of the VS&Co Board, in a statement. “We are particularly impressed with her merchant leadership capabilities paired with an operator’s discipline and bias for driving value creation. We are confident that Hillary can leverage VS&Co’s industry-leading brands with significant category and international expansion opportunities to accelerate growth and create shareholder value.”
Victoria’s Secret Fights for Relevance
For several years, Victoria’s Secret has been endeavoring to revamp its image and revive its business. Under Waters’ leadership the company acquired popular DTC intimates brand Adore Me in 2022; brought back former “Angels” including Gisele Bündchen and Naomi Campbell for a summer 2023 campaign that was followed by a reimagining of its iconic runway show; began selling its lingerie on Amazon; and launched a gender equality fund as well as a line of adaptive intimates for people with disabilities.
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“We thank Martin for his many contributions to Victoria’s Secret,” added James. “He has established a foundation for VS&Co to enter its next chapter, building an inclusive culture, growing our digital platform capabilities, enhancing the customer experience online and in stores, repositioning our international business for growth, and successfully executing our multi-year separation from our former parent company [L Brands]. We believe now is the right time to take the next step on our journey with new merchant-operator leadership to fully capitalize on the opportunities ahead for VS&Co.”
“I am excited to join VS&Co, the market leader in the domestic intimates category,” said incoming CEO Super in a statement. “The strength of these iconic brands, supplemented by an incredible beauty business, provides numerous opportunities for future growth. I look forward to working with Donna and the rest of the board and management team to make VS&Co the world’s leading fashion retailer of intimate apparel, rapidly expand our cultural influence and create a dominant global market position to grow shareholder value.”
