Caleres appoints debut SVP, corporate development and strategic communications

Caleres announced on Friday that Liz Dunn has joined the company as senior vice president of corporate development and strategic communications.

In the newly created role, Dunn will leverage her nearly 30 years of experience spanning equity research, investment banking, consulting, and finance to align the U.S. footwear group’s growth ambitions and strategic communications with delivering shareholder value, according to a press release.

Dunn will report to Caleres president and CEO, Jay Schmidt.

For the last 10 years, Dunn has worked with retailers, brands, and private equity firms as an independent consultant. Previously, Dunn spent over a decade as a sell-side equity research analyst covering footwear and apparel, luxury, department stores, and specialty retail.

Throughout her career, she has been featured in national print and television media as a subject matter expert on consumer companies and stocks, and has served on both public company and non-profit boards.

Early in her career, the executive worked in the finance departments of Liz Claiborne and Gap Inc., and began her career in the consumer investment banking group at Bear Stearns.

“We are pleased to welcome Liz to the Caleres leadership team,” said Schmidt.

“Liz has been working closely with Caleres for the last year as a consultant to provide a thoughtful perspective on our strategic and financial plans. Achieving our growth objectives will require disciplined execution and coordinated communication. I am confident Liz’s knowledge and expertise will support our efforts to drive value for our shareholders.”

Caleres portfolio of footwear brands includes Famous Footwear, Sam Edelman, Allen Edmonds, Naturalizer and Vionic. 

In its most recent trading update, Caleres said revenues for the third quarter fell 4.6 percent to $761.9 million, on the back of dips in both its Famous Footwear and brand portfolio segments.

Earlier this month, the company’s Sam Edelman brand released its latest campaign featuring Kylie Jenner.