Payless ShoeSource announced that Vincent DeSantis has been promoted to senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Payless.
In his role DeSantis is responsible for all marketing and branding initiatives for the retailer. He also oversees the development and growth of Payless' brand portfolio that includes Airwalk, Champion, Dexter, American Eagle for Payless, Above the Rim as well as its designer labels Christian Siriano for Payless, Isabel Toledo for Payless and Lela Rose for Payless, among others.
DeSantis leads the global marketing strategy and execution for Payless and its House of Brands. He is responsible for Payless' brand-building strategies including creative development, advertising, consumer insights, customer relationship management, digital, mobile and social media initiatives, multicultural marketing and public relations.
“Vincent's leadership and strategic insights over the past three years – particularly as we have developed best-in-class customer insights and successfully moved into new marketing channels such as mobile commerce and social media – have demonstrated that it's time to expand his leadership role to help take Payless to the next level,” said LuAnn Via, Chief Executive Officer of Payless. “We are thrilled to have him serve in this new role and look forward to his valuable contributions as we continue to forge strong emotional connections and build effective brand and marketing programs that connect Payless with customers around the world.”
DeSantis joined Payless in 2008 where he served first as vice president, consumer and brand marketing and was later promoted to divisional senior vice president, marketing. Prior to Payless, he was with Sprint Nextel where he served in a variety of consumer marketing roles in wireless acquisition, database, loyalty and retail marketing. He started his marketing career in consumer packaged goods brand management at General Mills. DeSantis earned his bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Michigan and a master's degree from the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia.
