Designer Brands appoints John Atkinson to its board of directors

Designer Brands has appointed John Atkinson as a member of its board of directors, effective August 1, 2024.

The company said Atkinson was also named a member of both the audit committee and the nominating and corporate governance committee.

“John’s extensive expertise as a strategic financial counsellor will be fundamental to guiding our path to deliver on our strategic commitments. Additionally, his background in CPG and retail accounting will help focus the investments we make to attract new customers and offer the best footwear brands,” said Jay Schottenstein, chairman of the board, Designer Brands.

Atkinson, the company added, is a retired audit partner from KPMG’s Cincinnati office. He joined KPMG in 2002 after 16 years at Arthur Andersen, where he became a partner in 1998. Before retiring in 2021 with over 35 years of experience as an audit professional, Atkinson served as the lead audit partner for a range of public and private businesses, primarily in the consumer food and retail sectors, including multiple fortune 500 companies.

Commenting on the new board addition, Doug Howe, CEO of Designer Brands added: “We remain fully focused on continuous improvement, both in our organisation’s agility and in the profitability of our overall business. John brings deep retail and financial expertise that we expect to deliver a quick and lasting impact on those goals.”

Before he retired, Atkinson was named Retail National Audit Industry Leader and was involved in discussions regarding the impact of the retail inventory method. He also served as KPMG’s partner in charge of audit risk management for the mid-America business unit and was a designated securities and exchange commission (SEC) reviewing partner. He has also been serving as a consultant for KPMG.

The company further added that Atkinson, a former captain in the US Army Reserves and a veteran of the Persian Gulf War, served in various leadership roles, including platoon leader in charge of a 53-person platoon, executive officer in an artillery unit and staff officer for an area support group.