Designer Brands names Laura Denk as president of DSW

Designer Brands Inc. has appointed Laura Denk as president of Designer Shoe Warehouse (DSW) and executive vice president of Designer Brands, with her appointment to be effective as of July 24, 2023. Denk will report to Designer Brands' chief executive officer, Doug Howe.

As president of DSW, the company said in a statement, Denk will be responsible for leading DSW's nearly 500 U.S. store locations and e-commerce channel, DSW.com, furthering the company's ongoing strategy of delivering compelling brands and exceptional experiences across all customer touchpoints.

"I am thrilled to be joining DSW at such an exciting time in DSW's journey to becoming a brand builder, while leveraging its strong footprint of stores and omni-channel platform. I am continually impressed by the breadth of assortment and must-have brands, coupled with a convenient and easy shopping experience, and I look forward to jumping right into the business," said Denk.

“Denk’s responsibilities will include day-to-day leadership of DSW, in addition to helping to further elevate Designer Brands' owned brands and top national brands within the retailer's differentiated customer offering,” the company added.

"I am confident in Laura's ability to lead the DSW organisation forward in ways that will further elevate and grow the profile of our owned brands, while ensuring we maintain our critical, core relationships with our top national brands within our retail footprint," added Howe.

The company further said that Denk brings to the company an extensive background in merchandising and an affinity for building strong vendor partnerships, along with significant experience in augmenting customer experiences and elevating private brands. She most recently served as chief merchandising officer and executive vice president at Michaels Stores, Inc.. Prior to that, she was Michaels' general merchandise manager. She has also held leadership positions at Claire's Stores, Inc. and Macy's, Inc.

Denk is a graduate of Indiana University Bloomington, with a bachelor's degree from the Kelley School of Business.