Victoria’s Secret appoints Hillary Super as CEO

American lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret has appointed former Savage x Fenty executive Hillary Super as its new chief executive officer to accelerate growth.

Described as a seasoned executive and proven merchant operator who “takes brands to the next level,” Super will start her new role as Victoria’s Secret’s CEO and join the retailer’s board of directors on September 9, succeeding Martin Waters, who is leaving the company.

Donna James, chair of the board at Victoria’s Secret & Co., said in a statement: “VS&Co welcomes Hillary as our new CEO to power the business’ next chapter and deliver the foremost tenet of our transformation strategy: accelerating growth in our core business in North America.

“We are particularly impressed with her merchant leadership capabilities paired with an operator’s discipline and bias for driving value creation. She understands vertically integrated retail brands and has an intuitive understanding of the consumer landscape, informed by customer insights which are critical for consistently delivering in this industry and its ever-accelerating fashion and economic cycles."

James added: "We are confident that Hillary can leverage VS&Co’s industry-leading brands with significant category and international expansion opportunities to accelerate growth and create shareholder value."

Savage x Fenty CEO Hillary Super to join Victoria’s Secret in September

Super has nearly three decades of retail merchant expertise and a successful track record leading brands and most recently served as CEO and a board member of Savage X Fenty, the lingerie label from singer Rihanna.

Before that, Super was the global chief executive of Anthropologie Group, where she led the turnaround of the women's apparel and accessories business. She has also held a variety of merchandising and operator roles at retailers including Guess?, American Eagle Outfitters, Gap Inc., and Ann Taylor Inc.

Commenting on her appointment, Super added: “I am excited to join VS&Co, the market leader in the domestic intimates category. The strength of these iconic brands, supplemented by an incredible beauty business, provides numerous opportunities for future growth.

“I look forward to working with Donna and the rest of the Board and management team to make VS&Co the world’s leading fashion retailer of intimate apparel, rapidly expand our cultural inuence, and create a dominant global market position to grow shareholder value.”

Until Super joins the lingerie brand, Timothy Johnson, VS&Co’s chief financial and administrative officer, will serve as interim CEO until September 8. Waters will remain employed as an advisor to the company until August 31 to support a smooth transition.