ascena retail group Announces Leadership Appointments


Justin MacFarlane Named Chief Customer Officer

Marisa Baldwin Promoted to Chief Human Resources Officer

MAHWAH, N.J., Nov. 13, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ascena retail group, inc. (Nasdaq: ASNA) (“ascena” or the “Company”) today announced that Justin MacFarlane has been appointed Executive Vice President, Chief Customer Officer, effective December 2, 2019. In addition, Marisa Baldwin has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer, effective immediately. Both Mr. MacFarlane and Ms. Baldwin will report directly to Gary Muto, Chief Executive Officer of ascena.

“ascena has gone through a transformative year in fiscal 2019, making pivotal changes to position our company to deliver profitable growth and strengthen our focus on our customers. We are pleased with the progress we have made to date and Justin’s and Marisa’s appointments to these new roles will help support the continued execution of our strategy," said Mr. Muto. “Justin is a seasoned retail executive with a successful track record of executing at the intersection of the customer experience – including digital, in-store, technology, analytics, and marketing strategy. As Chief Customer Officer, Justin fills a vital role within our executive leadership team and will provide a clear vision for all aspects of the customer experience. Marisa has been a valued member of the ascena organization for ten years and brings more than 25 years of experience to her new role. I am delighted she will oversee the ongoing building of our culture and the development of our talent moving forward. I look forward to leveraging Justin’s and Marisa’s respective areas of expertise as we continue to focus on placing our internal and external customers at the center of everything we do.”

Biographies

Justin MacFarlane

Mr. MacFarlane is a seasoned retail executive with more than 25 years of experience putting the customer first to drive retail growth. He has a successful track record of leading customer driven initiatives through the use of technology, operations, and analytics.

Mr. MacFarlane most recently served as the Chief Strategy, Analytics and Innovation Officer at Macy’s, Inc., where he was responsible for Macy’s strategic development, customer insights, data analytics, innovation, pricing, replenishment, and the food and lease businesses.

Previously, Mr. MacFarlane served in various leadership roles at ANN INC. Additionally, Mr. MacFarlane has served in leadership roles within the global retail practices of AlixPartners and Kurt Salmon Associates.

Marisa Baldwin

Ms. Baldwin has more than 25 years of experience in Human Resources. She joined the ascena organization in 2009 and since that time, has held roles of increasing leadership within Human Resources.

In 2015, she was promoted to Senior Vice President, Human Resources for ascena’s Premium Fashion Segment (previously ANN INC.) and since that time has led various centers of excellence within Human Resources, including Talent Strategy, Communications, and Charitable Giving.

Before joining ascena, Ms. Baldwin served in HR leadership roles focused on the growth and expansion of Starbucks and building a culture of inclusion at Diageo, North America.

About ascena retail group, inc.

ascena retail group, inc. (Nasdaq: ASNA) is a national specialty retailer offering apparel, shoes, and accessories for women under the Premium Fashion (Ann Taylor, LOFT, and Lou & Grey), Plus Fashion (Lane Bryant, Catherines and Cacique), and Value Fashion (Dressbarn) segments, and for tween girls under the Kids Fashion segment (Justice). ascena retail group, inc. through its retail brands operates ecommerce websites and approximately 3,400 stores throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

For more information about ascena retail group, inc. visit: ascenaretail.com, AnnTaylor.com, factory.anntaylor.com, LOFT.com, outlet.loft.com, louandgrey.com, lanebryant.com, Catherines.com, Dressbarn.com, and shopjustice.com.

Contact

ascena retail group, inc.
Shawn Buchanan
Corporate Communications
(212) 541-3418
shawn_buchanan@ascenaretail.com