J.Jill president and chief executive officer steps down

Linda Heasley has stepped down from her roles as president, chief executive officer and member of the board with J.Jill after a year and a half with the brand. While the company has not commented on Heasley's departure, this news coincides with the report of J.Jill's disappointing third quarter results, which saw a comparable sales decrease of 7 percent and net sales decrease of 8 million dollars.

Jim S. Scully has been appointed as J.Jill's interim chief executive officer as the company begins a search process for Heasley's replacement. Scully has served as a member of the board of directors since 2017 and brings with him over 20 years of experience in the retail sector. He has served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Avon Products and chief operating officer of J.Crew Group.

“Jim is a retail industry veteran with a proven track record of working in complex environments and a deep understanding of J.Jill from his time on the Board,” Michael Rahamim, chairman of the board, said in a statement. “We are confident in Jim’s ability to drive performance and ensure a seamless transition while we search for J.Jill’s next leader. On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Linda for her contributions and dedication to J.Jill.”

Scully added that his priorities while the board searches for a chief executive will be to "focus on our customer, product, operating fundamentals and financial discipline."