Macy’s chairman and CEO Jeff Gennette named NRF Foundation Board chair

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Jan 11, 2019

The NRF Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the National Retail Federation, has announced that Macy’s Inc. chairman and chief executive officer Jeff Gennette has been elected chairman of the foundation's board of directors, succeeding former president and CEO of Neiman Marcus Group, Karen Katz.

Gennette will serve a two-year-term in his new role. 

“[Gennette] is the right leader... as retail continues to evolve and consumer behavior is changing," said NRF Foundation president Ellen Davis. "[He] has a strong understanding of the changes happening with retail jobs and the future of the workforce, and he will be a key player in the NRF Foundation’s growing mission to help people become trained and find jobs in our industry.”

In addition to Gennette, the foundation also named Danielle Kirgan, chief human resources officer of Macy's Inc., to the board. 

The NRF Foundation, which works to funnel new talent into the retail industry, has made these appointments just ahead of NRF 2019: Retail's Big Show, set to run from January 13 through 15.

The conference, which the NRF calls a "marketplace for ideas and relationships" within the retail industry, will feature talks from retail heavy hitters including Gennette, Target CEO and chairman Brian Cornell, and Levi Strauss president and CEO Chip Bergh, among others.