Jeans giant Kontoor Brands, owner of the Wrangler and Lee brands, has promoted Karen Smith as its new executive vice president of global supply chain.
Smith will take up the role on 1 May, assuming responsibility for all aspects of supply chain management including global operations, planning, global manufacturing and sourcing, responsible sourcing, product quality and stewardship, customer service, distribution and logistics, and master data governance.
She will also be responsible for all components of the company’s supply chain strategy, including trade-related functions and operations.
As a member of the company’s executive leadership team, she will report to Kontoor’s president and CEO, Scott Baxter.
“Karen brings extensive experience across all aspects of responsible and efficient supply chain management,” Baxter said. “More importantly, she’s a proven leader with a talent for building and motivating teams along with a deep commitment to Kontoor’s culture. She’s a perfect fit for this critical role.”
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Smith currently serves as vice president of global supply chain operations, a role she assumed after Kontoor’s 2019 spinoff from VF Corporation. At VF she held several positions, including vice president of supply chain for jeanswear, imagewear, sportswear and Timberland, and vice president of global supply chain operations for Timberland. Prior to that, she spent nine years at Jockey International, where she rose to the level of vice president of operations.
Smith succeeds Randy Fortenberry, who has announced his intent to retire at the end of April.
Earlier this month, Kontoor announced it is expanding its Indigood programme to include additional water-saving technologies in a bid to offer more options for suppliers.
