J.Jill appoints first chief growth officer

US lifestyle brand J.Jill has named Viv Rettke as its first chief growth officer, effective immediately. The creation of the new role comes as J.Jill sets about on a "holistic growth strategy, aligning brand, marketing, and direct and retail sales channels”, a press release stated.

Rettke will also be responsible for direct channel performance, working closely with the brand’s leadership team and reporting directly to CEO and president Mary Ellen Coyne.

She joins the company from Cole Haan, where she served as chief strategy and transformation officer, during which time she evolved the brand’s positioning to a “dual-gender global lifestyle brand”.

Prior to this, Rettke was with Reebok, serving as head of transformation. She has also held senior roles at Kraft Heinz, most recently as Ahold head of sales for Center Store.

Speaking on the appointment, Coyne said: “[Rettke] has a proven ability to accelerate business growth at leading companies in fashion and other consumer industries.

“We’re confident her deep expertise across brand building, corporate strategy, business transformation, and retail sales and operations will help us realise the untapped potential to expand our customer file and unlock new efficiencies and market opportunities.”