Designer Brands names William Jordan as chief growth officer

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
Feb 19, 2020

Columbus, Ohio-based footwear and accessories retailer Designer Brands Inc. announced on Tuesday the appointment of William "Bill" L. Jordan as chief growth officer, effective immediately.

Jordan, who has held a variety of positions at Designer Brands over the past 14 years, most recently served as executive vice president and president, DSW since February 2019. 

As part of this transition, Roger Rawlins will take over as interim president, DSW, in addition to his duties as chief executive officer of Designer Brands, while the company is conducting a search to identify a permanent successor.

"As DBI executes its growth initiatives to increase our market share, via differentiated products and differentiated shopping experiences, we believe Bill's expertise is best utilized to help guide and grow our organization as a whole," said Rawlins. 

"We are continually investing in our people to ensure we have the right team to propel our company to the next level. Bill is a seasoned executive with a unique set of skills, and we look forward to benefitting from his talents in this newly created role.”

In this new role, Jordan will work closely with the management team to chart Designer Brands strategic growth opportunities and to expand the business via new partnerships, innovative retail concepts and more. 

Prior to becoming president of DSW, Jordan held positions at Designer Brands, such as chief administrative officer, executive vice president and chief legal officer of DSW and president of Town Shoes.

As well as DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse, Designer Brands owns the The Shoe Company and Shoe Warehouse brands, operating some 1,000 stores throughout North America under the three banners.

The company is expected to issue fourth-quarter and full-year 2019 results, as well as 2020 guidance, on March 17, 2020.

In an update, Rawlins said that “based on preliminary, unaudited results, we expect to meet our previously stated full year 2019 guidance.”