Chico's FAS, Inc. (NYSE: CHS) today announced that Diane Ellis has been appointed president of its Chico's brand, effective November 1, 2016. In this role, Ms. Ellis will oversee all business activities for Chico's and will report directly to Shelley Broader, president and chief executive officer of Chico's FAS.
Ms. Ellis has more than 35 years of retail experience and joins Chico's from The Limited, where she served as chief executive officer and was instrumental in driving the strategy behind the company's growth and business transformation over the past three years. Prior to The Limited, Ms. Ellis was president and chief operating officer of Brooks Brothers, where she led the stores, ecommerce, IT, HR, sourcing, product development, finance, supply chain and planning functions in support of the global operations of the brand.
"Diane is a seasoned leader who has proven time and again that she is one of the most strategic business and brand builders in retail. She brings merchandising, marketing and operational expertise as well as a strong passion for our customers," said Ms. Broader. "As we continue to position our Company to win in the future, I am proud to welcome Diane to Chico's."
"I am thrilled to join Chico's, an iconic brand that I've long admired," Ms. Ellis said. "The Company has made great strides with its strategic initiatives, and as the retail landscape and customer behavior evolves, I'm excited to lead and support the team as we continue to strengthen Chico's brand position and find new ways to innovate and delight our customers."
Prior to Brooks Brothers, Ms. Ellis was the founding partner of Lighthouse Retail Group, managing director for the Retail Strategy Practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers, and director of merchandise planning, allocation and inventory control at Filene's. Ms. Ellis also served in merchandising, planning, strategy and store management roles at Joseph Horne's department stores and at Marshalls, where she launched the petite and swimwear businesses. She is a member of the board of directors of Stage Stores, Inc.
ABOUT CHICO'S FAS, INC.
The Company, through its brands - Chico's, White House Black Market, and Soma - is a leading omni-channel specialty retailer of women's private branded, sophisticated, casual-to-dressy clothing, intimates, complementary accessories, and other non-clothing items.
As of July 30, 2016, the Company operated 1,517 stores in the US and Canada and sold merchandise through franchise locations in Mexico. The Company's merchandise is also available at www.chicos.com,www.whbm.com, and www.soma.com. For more detailed information on Chico's FAS, Inc., please visitwww.chicosfas.com.
