HanesBrands appoints Stephen Bratspies as CEO

HanesBrands has appointed Stephen B. Bratspies as chief executive officer and board member, effective August 3, 2020. The company said in a statement that Bratspies will succeed Gerald W. Evans Jr., who previously announced his plans to retire after a 37-year career at HanesBrands.

“After a comprehensive search, we are excited to appoint Steve as the next CEO of Hanes,” said Ronald L. Nelson, the company’s chairman of the board, adding, “Steve is an experienced global leader, has a strong vision for the future of consumer products businesses, and has an extensive track record of success in senior management roles across a number of critical business disciplines. He has tackled complex business challenges and consistently delivered superior results across a multitude of consumer product categories.

Bratspies, 52, the company added, brings more than 25 years of retail, digital and consumer product leadership experience to Hanes. Most recently, he served as chief merchandising officer at Walmart Inc. where he managed 330 billion dollars in sales, drove a major merchandising transformation initiative, and accelerated comp-store sales and market share gains. His prior leadership positions at Walmart included executive vice president of general merchandise, executive vice president of food, and senior vice president of marketing. Earlier in his career, Bratspies served as chief marketing officer for Specialty Brands, held various management positions at PepsiCo, Inc.’s Frito-Lay North America division, and was a management consultant with A.T. Kearney.

Bratspies, who will relocate to Winston-Salem, added: “I am thrilled to be joining the HanesBrands team, the clear global leader in everyday apparel basics with great iconic brands like Hanes and Champion. It is an honor to assume the role of CEO and join this highly respected global team of 63,000 strong.”

Gerald Evans, the company further added, will oversee the leadership transition until August and remain as an advisor to the company through 2021.

Picture:HanesBrands multimedia library