Saks Global shuffles leadership team as slew of execs exit

Luxury retail group Saks Global has initiated a reorganisation of its management in a bid to cut costs, with a slew of top executives due to step down from the firm. According to WWD, which initially reported the news, the reshuffle will see chief executive officer, Marc Metrick, become more directly involved with brand partners.

The media outlet has revealed that Saks Global president and chief commercial officer Emily Essner is among those exiting. Essner took on the dual role in December 2024, after Saks acquired Neiman Marcus Group.

Certain responsibilities once held by Essner will now be passed onto Metrick; Kim Miller, the newly appointed chief customer officer; and Paolo Riva, chief brand partnerships and buying officer for Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman’s.

In addition to Essner, Bill Bine, chief transformation officer, and Rob Brooks, chief operating officer, will also be exiting the company. These functions have now been reassigned to existing executives in different areas of the business.

The changes were outlined in an email to vendors and brands, obtained by WWD, in which Metrick stated that Riva would report to him so that he can play more of a direct role in related partner strategies. Metrick noted there would be no changes to Riva’s team, nor the Bergdorf Goodman team, which remains separate.

Metrick further stated that Miller would lead strategies to “drive customer satisfaction, loyalty and retention”, with a specific focus on “customer-facing channels, including marketing, stores, digital, customer support and customer analytics”.

In the letter, Metrick went on to note that progress had been made in the integration of Saks and Neiman’s faster than expected. Despite group revenues falling 11.1 percent in the second quarter of the current fiscal year, Metrick said the retailer was seeing more positive signs in the third quarter, and expressed further optimism for the holiday season.

Update. 16:40 CET. A spokesperson for Saks Global has shared a full statement with FashionUnited, reading: “We have made significant progress on our integration plans and on a much faster timeline than anticipated. As part of this process, we determined that with a simplified leadership structure we will be able to more efficiently execute on our transformation strategy, which centers on advancing the customer experience, strengthening our brand partner relationships, and improving our financial performance.”