Victoria’s Secret hires Hillary Super, who ran Rihanna’s lingerie brand, as CEO

UNITED STATES (AP).- Victoria’s Secret has made a change at the top by naming Hillary Super, of Savage X Fenty, as its new general manager.

Super will succeed Martin Waters, effective Sept. 9. Waters became CEO of Victoria’s Secret in 2021. He will serve as an advisor through the end of the month to assist with the transition process, while CFO and Administration Officer Timothy Johnson will serve as interim CEO.

In 2021, plans were announced to separate Victoria’s Secret from its parent company, L Brands, after a deal to sell the lingerie, sleepwear, beauty and apparel company to private equity firm Sycamore Partners fell apart due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The chain has been dealing with a slowdown in sales and has worked to reinvent the way it works and redesign its stores. Super has been CEO of Savage X Fenty since June 2023. The lingerie company, co-founded by Rihanna, the superstar and business mogul, is targeting younger customers, and Super’s experience running the company could help Victoria’s Secret better cater to that prized demographic.

Shares rose more than 14% in premarket trading.

Prior to Savage X Fenty, Super served as Global CEO of Anthropologie Group, an Urban Outfitters company.

Victoria’s Secret Chairman Donna James said in a statement Wednesday that Super will be tasked with accelerating the growth of the company’s core business in North America.

“She understands vertically integrated retail brands and intuitively understands the consumer landscape, informed by customer insights, which are critical to consistently delivering in this industry, and its perpetually accelerating fashion and economic cycles,” James said.