How to Hire a CEO in Apparel & Textiles: What Boards and Investors Should Look For

As Global Head of Research & Leadership Advisory at JRG Partners, I wrote this guide for boards and investors on how to hire a CEO in Apparel & Textiles. The sector is an industry where supply-chain transformation, sustainability, and direct-to-consumer digital shift are reshaping the leadership profile across brands, manufacturers, and retailers, and the CEO profile that succeeds in it is specific: a leader who can transform the supply chain for resilience and sustainability while driving the direct-to-consumer and digital shift reshaping the industry, balancing brand equity against operational and margin discipline.

The Apparel & Textiles CEO Mandate in 2026

Before assessing candidates, boards should agree what the next three to five years demand. In Apparel & Textiles, that context is shaped by three forces: Supply-chain nearshoring, transparency, and resilience have become strategic leadership priorities. Sustainability and circularity demands from consumers and regulators are reshaping materials and operations. Direct-to-consumer and digital transformation are rewriting brand, commercial, and customer strategy. The right CEO is defined by which of these the company must navigate most urgently.

What to Look For in a Apparel & Textiles CEO

The profile that succeeds is a leader who can transform the supply chain for resilience and sustainability while driving the direct-to-consumer and digital shift reshaping the industry, balancing brand equity against operational and margin discipline. Concretely, boards should probe for global supply-chain and sourcing command; sustainability and circular-materials fluency; brand and direct-to-consumer commercial leadership; product development and merchandising discipline.

Where Apparel & Textiles CEOs Come From

The strongest candidates are drawn from apparel and textile brands and manufacturers (product and operations depth); retail and consumer companies (brand and channel leadership); supply-chain and sourcing organizations (operations expertise); technology and DTC companies (digital leadership). Boards should map all of these pools rather than defaulting to obvious internal or direct-competitor candidates.

The Board’s Role in the Search

A CEO search is the board’s most consequential act. The failure patterns are consistent: mandate ambiguity that surfaces at finalist stage, over-weighting charisma over the specific capabilities the sector demands, rushing or drifting the process, and neglecting rigorous referencing under time pressure. Boards that align on the mandate in writing, run a structured assessment, and reference beyond the candidate-supplied list consistently outperform.

Compensation and Closing the Apparel & Textiles CEO

Compensation emphasizes cash with brand-performance and growth incentives; digital, sustainability, and supply-chain leadership command premiums, and private-equity and brand-house structures produce varied packages. The CEO package must reflect the sector’s ownership structure and the profile’s scarcity, and the close depends as much on the mandate’s credibility as on the number. Our Apparel & Textiles executive compensation report details the benchmarks.

Related Apparel & Textiles Resources

See also Apparel & Textiles executive search guide, Apparel & Textiles top 10 in-demand roles, Apparel & Textiles executive compensation report.

Tanya Gallardo

Managing Director, Executive Search & AI Talent Strategy

Tanya Gallardo is the Managing Director of Executive Search & AI Talent Strategy at JRG Partners, leading C-suite and Board engagements across key growth sectors including Technology, Financial Services, and Manufacturing.

With over 18 years of experience specializing in disruptive technology leadership, Tanya is recognized as a leading authority on talent architecture for future-focused executive roles, such as the Chief AI Officer (CAIO) and Chief Digital Officer (CDO). Her expertise lies in accurately assessing the cultural fit and technical depth required to ensure a high return on investment (ROI) for critical leadership appointments.

Prior to her role at JRG Partners, Tanya held senior roles directing global talent acquisition strategies at a major publicly-traded technology firm, advising on organizational design and succession planning for emerging executive functions. She is a recognized speaker and contributor to industry events, sharing data-driven insights on executive compensation, leadership development, and the measurable business impact of C-suite talent.

Connect with Tanya to discuss your executive search needs.