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Consumer & Retail

Based in New York, Ann MacCarthy joined the Executive Search division of Cook Associates, Inc. as a Managing Director within the global Consumer & Retail practice. Her 15 years of high level search experience include the recruitment of “best-in-class” C-level to Director-level executives, spanning multiple channels of distribution in all classes of trade from luxury to mass market spanning the retail, fashion, apparel and accessories, home fashion, and beauty industries.

With a superb reputation in both the Consumer and Retail markets, as well as the search industry, Ann understands the importance of great product and has a track record of recognizing talented executives that can drive brand growth. She has helped extend the well-established consumer industry reputation of Cook Associates Executive Search even further into the Retail/Wholesale sectors.

Her practice serves clients within the specialty retail, direct marketing and sales, e-commerce and wholesale channels in all areas of functional management including General Management, Design, Merchandising, Product Development, Sourcing and Production, Supply-Chain, Marketing, Finance and Operations. Global coverage includes design in Paris and Milan, and supply chain in Asia. Clients have included Levi Strauss & Co., Sara Lee Branded Apparel (now HanesBrands), Tiffany & Co., Bulgari, Polo Ralph Lauren, DFS Group, Charming Shoppes, and Red Envelope.

Ann’s insider experience as a Vice President, Human Resources for Gestetner PLC and senior positions in human resources at Sara Lee Corporation and U. S. Industries’ Apparel Group, enable her to partner effectively in addressing organizational issues. She possesses a comprehensive understanding of strategies, operations and management structures of retail and consumer products companies.

Ann has chaired the International Association of Corporate and Professional Recruitment and holds membership in the American Retail Federation, Catalog Council of the DMA, Association of Interactive Media and The Fashion Group. Highly regarded as a thought leader in the retail and fashion industry, Ann has been featured in The Wall Street Journal.

A native of New York, Ann holds a BA, Business Administration, with a focus in Marketing, from Pace University.

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Testimonials

“I have always been impressed with Ann’s assertiveness in gaining a holistic perspective on the company and its needs. She is the kind of partner who regularly reaches out to understand where the business is headed – even when she is not engaged on an active search. Ann seems to have her pulse on best-in-class industry talent; even on paper, the candidates she has sourced looked like they met our qualifications and could have walked into the business without an interview.”
– Manuel Jessup, EVP & Chief Human Resources Officer, Chicos

“Ann is an outstanding professional. She is personable and trustworthy, with great attention to detail. The fact that she is so well connected in the industry is a huge advantage to her clients. When I worked with her in the past, I found that Ann always took the time up front to understand my needs. She dug deep and asked probing questions to ensure she saw the whole picture. In turn, the quality of her candidates was fabulous. Also, her approach and format relieved me of having to manage the search process; she did her job so that I could do mine.”
– Sally Tomkins, Senior Vice President, Design, Research and Product Development, Jockey International, Inc.

Accomplishments

Human Capital Affects M&A Activity [PDF]

Few Made to Measure to Fill Gap TopSpot [Reuters]