Ethan Allen Interiors has appointed former Neiman Marcus executive Stefanie Tsen Ward as interim chief executive, putting her in charge of day-to-day operations and a strategic reset as the board searches for a permanent leader. The move follows activist investor Douglas Bergeron’s success in securing control of the company’s board.
Ward was previously Neiman Marcus’s chief integrated retail and customer officer and was credited with helping transform the retailer. Investors backed her as one of Bergeron’s three director nominees earlier this month. Shareholders also elected two of the company’s nominees as they voted out Chairman and CEO Farooq Kathwari and lead independent director David Sable.
Ethan Allen had argued that Ward lacked experience as a public-company CEO and in manufacturing, and opposed naming an interim chief as part of the permanent transition. The company said Tuesday that it formally appointed Ward, Anna Brockway, Lindsay O’Reilly and Adam Treanor as directors. They join Bergeron, who becomes executive chairman, and Kristine Miller, who becomes lead independent director, along with Maria Eugenia Casar, Steve Oblak and Tara Stacom. Casar and Stacom have served on the board since 2022 and 2015, respectively.
Bergeron said in a statement that the appointments mark the first day of a 100-day plan for a new phase of growth. He is the former chairman and CEO of VeriFone Systems and former chairman of Cantaloupe. Miller previously served as eBay’s chief strategy officer. Brockway is the former president of Chairish and previously was vice president of worldwide marketing at Levi Strauss; Oblak is Wayfair’s former chief commercial officer. O’Reilly held chief internal auditor, chief data officer and chief operating officer for risk and finance roles at Barclays. Treanor is managing partner of Stone Bay Capital.
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