Carter’s, Inc. has appointed Doug Palladini CEO and president and member of the company’s Board of Directors, effective April 3, 2025.
“Carter’s is a storied company with a powerful legacy and iconic brands that have long been trusted by families with young children for its quality, value, and style,” said Palladini. “I am eager to continue to advance the important work underway in our retail and wholesale businesses, further build upon Carter’s brand equity, and create lasting connections with our customers through accelerated relevance, inspiring products, and meaningful storytelling.”
Palladini brings over three decades of senior leadership experience with an emphasis on brand and direct-to-consumer strategies. He serves on the Board of Directors of Skull Candy, Inc. and Stance. He previously served as global brand president of Vans, a division of VF Corp., where he reportedly “more than doubled global revenue to over $4.2 billion in less than six years while also growing profitability and brand equity.” Carters said Palladini “achieved these results within Vans’ retail stores’ global fleet while meaningfully boosting e-commerce sales across all geographic regions.”
“While leading Vans, [Palladini] also expanded product assortment in more than 100 countries by creating and leveraging a strategic framework of disciplined choices, elevating apparel and accessories to almost 20 percent of sales, driving footwear newness beyond iconic classics styles, and building brand loyalty around the world,” said the apparel retailer for babies and young children.
“Palladini brings the skills and vision needed to expand Carter’s direct-to-consumer and wholesale businesses, drive consumer loyalty, enhance competitiveness, and extend international reach. Under his leadership, Carter’s will continue to prioritize innovation and customer engagement to strengthen its connection with families with young children worldwide,” the company continued in a media release.
“After a comprehensive search, we are thrilled to appoint Doug Palladini as CEO of Carter’s,” said William J. Montgoris, non-executive chairman of the Board. “Doug’s remarkable track record of growing brands, his deep understanding of consumer-driven strategies, and his expertise in creating global brand connections will be invaluable as we continue to build upon Carter’s strong foundation. Under Doug’s leadership, Carter’s will continue to innovate, strengthen our unique, multi-channel business model, and stay true to our mission of providing high-quality, affordable apparel for young children.”
Palladini most recently served as founder and owner of Kickstand, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in brand strategy, executive coaching and organizational design. He previously spent nearly 20 years at VF Corporation. While serving as global brand president of Vans, he led and mentored an executive team of “functional and regional leaders” and served on the Executive Leadership Team of VF Corporation. Before that, he was general manager of the Americas region at Vans, overseeing North, Central and South America operation from July 2013 to July 2016. During that time, Palladini reportedly led Vans to “20 consecutive quarters of double-digit growth as the P&L leader for the Americas region.”
Earlier in his career, Palladini served in various entrepreneurial, marketing and publishing roles as founder and director of Cynic (a DGWB division), chief operating officer of Swell and group publisher of EMAP Peterson. In each of these roles, he “accelerated revenue and improved profitability.”
The Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA) named Palladini president in 2009, succeeding Dick Baker, who had passed away in April of that year. Palladini was vice president of marketing for Vans at the time and had previously served on the SIMA Board of Directors.
Palladini will relocate from California to the company’s global headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.
Image courtesy Carter’s
