Former GM for Adidas’ Yeezy joins Shopify in new creator role
Jon Wexler, the 20-year Adidas exec and former GM of Kanye West’s Yeezy line (who helped forge high-profile brand collaborations with the rapper, as well as Beyoncé and Pharrell), joined Shopify this month as VP of the company’s creator and influencer program.
Wexler is tasked with deepening relationships with a growing segment of entrepreneurs by helping creators, makers and artists “translate their audiences and personas into new, scalable brands and businesses,” the e-commerce company said in a statement. Loren Padelford, the company’s VP and GM, said “creators and influencers are a unique type of entrepreneur, and we want them to build their brands and legacies on Shopify.”
New president to lead next phase of Nespresso’s sustainability commitments
Alfonso Troisi is stepping in as president for Nespresso Canada just as the coffee company pursues a bevy of sustainability initiatives.
Troisi first joined the Nestlé Group-owned organization in 2013 and most recently served as president of Greater China for the brand. During his tenure, he oversaw the launch of a wide-scale coffee capsule recycling program in China previously only available to business customers.
Sustainability will continue to be a focus for the president as he takes over Canadian operations.
This month, Nespresso launched new capsules made using 80% recycled aluminum and new fully recyclable boxes for Nespresso machines made from 95% recycled material. It has also pledged to make every cup of coffee “carbon neutral” by 2022.
That goal entails tackling what is known as Scope 3 emissions – those occurring across its supply chain and product life cycle. Nespresso first achieved carbon neutrality across its business operations, eliminating what is known as Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, in 2017.
Giant Tiger’s founder and CEO steps down after six decades at the helm
Gordon Reid, founder and chief executive of the Canadian discount retailer, stepped down from the company he founded in Ottawa’s ByWard Market neighbourhood 59 years ago.
He was succeeded by Paul Wood, who served as the retailer’s president and COO for the past year, on Sept. 21.
In an interview with The Globe and Mail, Wood said the company plans to open 10 to 15 new locations annually, primarily in large urban centres like Toronto, where “there’s still an awareness gap that we have to work through.” The privately held company has 258 stores in Canada, most of them franchised, and brought in more than $2 billion in revenue last year.
While smaller and less advanced in ecommerce than some of its competitors, the retailer has seen demand for online shopping grow exponentially during the pandemic, and it expects economic fallout of COVID-19 to drive even more competition across discount banners.
