Gap Inc. Announces C-Suite Additions

Gap Inc. has named LA Clippers CFO Eric Chan as its new chief business and strategy officer, and Mattel’s Amy Thompson as chief people officer, the retailer announced Friday.

Chan’s appointment is effective this week, while Thompson will begin her post Jan. 22. They will report to chief executive Richard Dickson, who also came from Mattel and was hired for the top position in July.

Prior to serving as chief financial officer at the LA Clippers, Chan served as COO at flower delivery service The Bouqs Company and prior to that, he was CFO at gaming subscription box Loot Crate.

Thompson will succeed Gap’s previous chief people officer, Sheila Peters, whose exit was announced in March 2023. Before Mattel, Thompson was an HR executive at Toms and held similar roles at Starbucks and Ticketmaster.

Gap tapped Dickson as its CEO on the heels of Mattel’s breakout success of its Barbie franchise. As Mattel’s chief operating officer, he was the prime architect for Barbie’s turnaround, the climax of which was the release of box office record-breaking “Barbie,” the film, last summer.

Dickson and his new deputies have their work cut out. Gap has struggled to remain relevant in recent years and has seen sales halve since its peak in the early aughts. But industry observers saw his arrival as a promising prospect for the ailing chain, pointing to his comprehensive strategy for revamping Barbie’s image as well as product assortment during his time at Mattel.

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