Coldwater Creek Promotes Jim Bell to Executive Vice President -- Chief Operating Officer and Announces Further Leadership Additions

Published on Thursday, 02 February 2012 17:01 Written by TradersHuddle Staff

SANDPOINT, Idaho, Feb. 2, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Coldwater Creek Inc. (Nasdaq:CWTR) today announced that it has promoted Jim Bell to the position of Executive Vice President – Chief Operating Officer, a newly created position. He will be responsible for information technology, real estate, distribution and logistics, planning and allocation, and finance, and will continue to serve as the Company's Chief Financial Officer.

Mr. Bell, who has served as the Company's Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since April 2010, joined Coldwater Creek in September 2009 as Vice President of Financial Planning. Prior to joining Coldwater Creek, Mr. Bell served as Senior Vice President, Finance and Planning for Harry and David Holdings, Inc. from April 2007 to June 2009. Prior to that, Mr. Bell was Senior Director, Finance at Gap Inc from October 2002 to April 2007. Mr. Bell holds a B.S. in economics from the U.S. Naval Academy and an M.B.A. from the University of Maryland.

The Company also announced that it promoted David Edwards to the position of Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer on January 1, 2012. Mr. Edwards is responsible for overseeing all technology initiatives at Coldwater Creek, and will report to Jim Bell - Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Edwards joined Coldwater Creek in 2004 as Director of Information Technology Distribution and Logistics, and most recently served as Vice President Business and Technology Alignment. Mr. Edwards has over 28 years of technology experience working in retail, eCommerce, entertainment, manufacturing and consulting.

The Company also announced that it has recently added two additional senior level executives to its leadership team. Nancy Binger joined the Company in November 2011 as Senior Vice President, Brand and Creative Services, and is responsible for the creative advertising direction of the Company. She will report to Dennis Pence, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Binger has over 23 years experience in retail creative brand leadership and joins the Company from Victoria's Secret Stores where she was Vice President, Creative Director Lingerie, Beauty, and Sport from 2004 to 2011.  

Deanna Emsley joined the Company in January 2012 as Vice President Inventory Planning and Allocation and will report to Jim Bell, Executive Vice President - Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Emsley has over 20 years retail experience and has held positions in planning, forecasting, replenishment/allocation, and IT, and joins the Company from Oracle's Retail Global Business Unit where she was Senior Delivery Director – Planning, Supply Chain, and Optimization Practice from April 2002 to January 2012. Prior to joining Oracle, she held various positions with Wet Seal, Abercrombie and Fitch, Maurices, and Williams-Sonoma, Inc.  

Dennis Pence, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer stated, "We are pleased to announce these important changes to our leadership team as they are indicative of our continued investment in talent across our organization. The promotions of Jim and David are in recognition of their significant contributions to our organization. Since becoming Chief Financial Officer in April 2010, Jim has made numerous contributions to enhance our operations, including leading our improved inventory management practices. During his tenure at Coldwater Creek, David has led several key IT initiatives designed to enhance cross functional teamwork and improve business processes." Mr. Pence continued, "We are also delighted to welcome Nancy and Deanna to Coldwater Creek. Both bring extensive retail experience to our organization, which will enable us to continue to evolve the Coldwater Creek brand and position us for improved long-term performance."  

About Coldwater Creek

Coldwater Creek is a leading specialty retailer of women's apparel, gifts, jewelry, and accessories that was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Sandpoint, Idaho. The company sells its merchandise through premium retail stores across the country, online at coldwatercreek.com and through its catalogs.

CONTACT: Lyn Walther
         Divisional Vice President, Investor Relations
         208-265-7005