Designer Brands Inc. announced a planned CEO transition process. The company's board of directors has appointed Doug Howe, President of DSW, to succeed Roger Rawlins as the company's chief executive officer, effective April 1, 2023, at which time Rawlins will step down as chief executive officer and as a member of the board of directors. Rawlins will continue to work with the Company for a twelve-month period in a Strategic Advisor role to facilitate a seamless leadership transition.

This transition is the direct result of the Board of Directors' long-term succession planning with respect to the CEO role. Howe has more than 30 years of experience in the retail industry with deep experience in vertical brand and direct-to-consumer growth and currently serves as President of DSW and Executive Vice President of Designer Brands. Doug also has extensive background working across digital retail channels, department stores, and mass retailers.

Howe joined the Company in May 2022, after four years as Chief Merchandising Officer at Kohl's, where he was responsible for buying, planning, product design and development, sourcing, and merchandising transformation efforts. Prior to Kohl's, he was the Global Chief Merchandising Officer at Qurate Retail Group, leading QVC's and HSN's product leadership agenda by identifying emerging trends and white spaces for growth, building brands through their discovery, introduction and cultivation, developing category strategies, and attracting top vendors. Doug also held leadership roles at Gap Inc. including product design and development of vertical brands, various merchandise leadership roles at Walmart, including SVP of Product Development, Strategy, Design and Development, and several senior merchandising positions at May Department Stores.

With Doug and Roger's assistance, management will conduct a comprehensive search to identify the next President of DSW.