US fashion brand Madewell, which is owned by retailer J. Crew Group, has promoted president Libby Wadle to CEO.

The move, which marks the first time the brand has had a chief executive officer, will see Wadle continue to have full responsibility over the Madewell business across all functions and teams.

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As president of Madewell since April 2017 and a leader across each of the J. Crew Group businesses since 2004, Madewell says Wadle has been a “key force” behind its strong fiscal results and growth trajectory over the last two years as the brand is on track to becoming a US$1bn business under her leadership. 

Prior to joining J. Crew, Wadle served as division vice president of women’s merchandising at Coach Inc from 2003 to 2004 and held various merchandising positions at The Gap Inc from 1995 to 2003. 

J. Crew recently said it has taken “immediate and decisive action” to refocus its strategy and improve performance in 2019, with the goal of returning the business to profitability and sustaining momentum at Madewell.

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