Tim Heard Breaks Into Shoe Business

Industry veteran Tim Heard has joined the Brown Shoe Co. Inc. (St. Louis) as senior vp, Brown Shoe International, where he will head business development for the company's international retail, marketing and sales organization.

The 20-year retail designer and marketer was most recently vp of retail marketing for E*TRADE Securities Inc., where he helped that financial services company launch its retail program. The flagship store on New York's Madison Avenue was named Store of the Year for 2001 in the annual store design competition sponsored by the Institute of Store Planners and VM+SD magazine. He had previously been coo and vp of store planning and operations for Uptons Department Stores (Atlanta) and with Broadway Stores (Los Angeles). He began his career in retail operations, store planning and branding at BHG (British Home Stores) in the U.K.

Heard's appointment was one of several management moves made by the shoe manufacturer and retailer. Scott Cooper, formerly senior vp, marketing, for the company's Famous Footwear division, has been named senior vp, marketing, for Brown Shoe. He now has marketing oversight for Brown Shoe's wholesale business units. And Paul Malutinok takes on the newly created position of senior vp, strategic planning, responsible for market intelligence for Brown Shoe and its retail and wholesale divisions.

“As Brown Shoe continues to gain market share, we're building a more strategic platform to grow our business units and keep pace with today's highly competitive retail environment,” said chairman and ceo Ron Fromm. “Our strategy focuses resources on our growth areas, and having strong leaders in place is key to making that strategy successful.”

Brown Shoe operates the 900-store Famous Footwear chain and 400 Naturalizer stores in the U.S. and Canada. Through its wholesale divisions, it owns and markets such footwear brands as Naturalizer, LifeStride, Connie and Buster Brown, and licensed brands including Dr. Scholl's, Carlos by Carlos Santana, Barbie, Spider-Man and Bob-the-Builder character footwear.