Sophia Hwang-Judiesch will become the next president of Tommy Hilfiger North America on Jan. 8, 2024, according to a Wednesday news release from PVH Corp.
The apparel conglomerate, which owns the Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger brands, also announced the promotion of Amba Subrahmanyam to the role of chief people officer.
Hwang-Judiesch was most recently president of Hudson’s Bay, where she oversaw the company’s retail stores in Canada and its omnichannel strategies, per the release. Before joining Hudson’s Bay, she was vice president of strategic initiatives at Ulta Beauty, where she “led the partnership and launch of Ulta Beauty@Target.”
Stefan Larsson, CEO of PVH, said in the release that Hwang-Judiesch’s leadership of Tommy Hilfger North America and Donald Kohler’s leadership of Calvin Klein North America puts “leadership strength in place for the North America unlock of both brands.”
“Sophia’s proven track record of driving profitable, omnichannel growth and enhancing the brand experience at every touch point will be critical as we get closer to consumers than ever before,” Larsson said in the release.
Since 2022, PVH has been working on a strategic initiative to boost the value of the Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein brands in terms of customer loyalty and desirability. PVH wants the brands to lead the company to a total revenue of $12.5 billion in 2025.
The Tommy Hilfiger North America business increased its revenue by 6% in its most recent quarterly earnings, but at the time an analyst for WedBush said the results marked a third consecutive quarter of deceleration for the brand. The Calvin Klein North America business saw revenue fall 1% during the period.
Hwang-Judiesch’s hire comes after PVH named Lea Rytz Goldman global brand president of Tommy Hilfiger, following Avery Baker’s departure.
Meanwhile, Subrahmanyam will step into the chief people officer role on Feb. 5, 2024. She succeeds Julie Fuller, who is leaving PVH to pursue other opportunities, per the release.
Subrahmanyam is currently the executive vice president of people for PVH Americas and Calvin Klein Global. She previously worked in HR leadership roles at Tapestry, Tory Burch and Coach.
Overall, PVH increased its revenue by 4% in its most recent quarterly earnings, but it predicts its Q4 revenue will fall between 3% and 4%. PVH attributed the decrease to the sale of its Heritage Brands intimate apparel business earlier this year.
