Tracking Footwear’s Executive Steps, AGM Board Elects

Footwear

Rack Room Shoes

American footwear retailer Rack Room Shoes has appointed Mike Edwards as president and CEO, succeeding Mark Lardie, who is retiring after 14 years at the helm. The retail executive brings over 20 years of experience, most recently serving as president of Famous Footwear. The appointment was guided by Lardie and led by Manfred Kroneder, vice chairman of the Deichmann Group.

Genesco

Nashville-based footwear company Genesco has named Ashley Randolph as vice president and chief accounting officer. In this new role, Randolph will oversee the company’s accounting operations, financial controls and compliance—including financial statements, accounting policy and SEC reporting—while “driving continued efficiencies across the function.” As a 20-year veteran of Genesco, Randolph most recently served as vice president and corporate controller, a role she has held since 2024. Prior to joining Genesco, she served as a senior auditor at Deloitte & Touche.

Retail

H&M Group

Swedish fast-fashion giant H&M Group’s recent AGM reelected its regular board members and appointed trade union representatives. Karl-Johan Persson was reelected as chair of the board. The trade unions appointed Keith Barker, Agneta Gustafsson and Tim Gahnström as regular board members, while Therese Nordström, Hans Lundamo and Sofia Almbrandt were appointed as deputy members. The reelected board members comprise Karl-Johan Persson, Klas Balkow, Anders Dahlvig, Danica Kragic Jensfelt, Lena Patriksson Keller, Helena Saxon, Christian Sievert and Christina Synnergren.

Manufacturing

Mad Engine

Mad Engine shared two executive updates. The licensed apparel wholesaler announced the appointment of Sonia Mendez as vice president of import production, while former SVP Kyle Carroll was named senior vice president of sourcing and import production. Mendez brings over 20 years of experience in global sourcing and production to Mad Engine, where she will lead import production for the company’s Club and Private Label businesses. Following a four-year break, Carroll will oversee international sourcing and import production, partnering with teams and factory partners to drive efficiency and scalability.

Raw Materials

Polygiene Group

Swedish textile ingredient technology producer Polygiene announced that Jonas Wollin, Paul Morris, Bengt Engström and Sofia Svensson were reelected as board members at the annual shareholders’ meeting. Nils von Essen was elected as a new member, while Wollin was reelected chairman and Morris was elected vice chairman. The annual assembly also saw Grant Thornton Sweden AB reelected as auditor, with Camilla Nilsson continuing as responsible auditor.

Education

The University of Tennessee–Oak Ridge Innovation Institute (UT-ORII)

UT-ORII, a collaborative partnership between the University of Tennessee (UT) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), has recruited a materials scientist to accelerate the state’s role in advanced manufacturing and the country’s bioeconomy.

The hub has appointed Orlando Rojas, a Canada Excellence Research Chair at the University of British Columbia, as the UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair for Circular Biomaterials.

Rojas has published nearly 700 papers and is regularly ranked among the top 1 percent of researchers worldwide. In this role, he will develop next-generation materials from various resources, emphasizing performance, manufacturability and end-of-life strategies. He’ll also lead research at both UT and ORNL to advance the Circular Bioeconomy Systems Convergent Research Initiative, with a focus on high-performance materials and circular systems.