Avenue, which sells women’s plus-size fashion apparel, footwear and accessories,has named Mark Walsh as CEO.
Walsh, a board member who began advising the company in 2017, takes the job at a time when Avenue is revamping its C-level team. In November, Avenue appointed Nancy Viall as Chief Merchandising Officer and Steven Silbaugh as Chief Marketing Officer. More recently, the retailer hired Scott Hampson as COO and David Rhoads as CFO.
Walsh succeeds Liz Williams, who served in the position since April 2012. The succession was planned in advance, according to a company statement.
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“Under Liz Williams, Avenue has been one of our most successful investments,” said Gregory L. Segall, Chairman and CEO of Versa Capital Management, the retailer’s private equity owner, in a statement. “She transformed the company from a stagnant retailer with many underutilized assets into a profitable omnichannel enterprise, achieving substantial success in the face of challenging and changing retail market conditions.”
Prior to joining Avenue, Walsh served as CEO of Bob’s Stores and Eastern Mountain Sports, Group President of Liz Claiborne, and EVP of e-Commerce and Strategic Planning at J. Crew. Walsh also served as Managing Director of Versa Capital from May 2013 to April 2014.
