Liz Claiborne Inc. Expands Roles of Seasoned Executives within the Com

NEW YORK, May 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Liz Claiborne Inc. today announced senior leadership appointments and organizational realignments to support its strategic growth priorities and help the Company further leverage its sourcing and logistics capabilities in the changing business environment.

As part of the realignment Bob Zane has been appointed to the position of senior vice president; Michael Scarpa is promoted to the position of senior vice president, finance & distribution; and John Sullivan is named senior vice president, sourcing, service & systems, thereby separating the previously combined distribution/logistics and sourcing/ manufacturing functions.

Commenting on the announcement, Paul R. Charron, chairman and chief executive officer of Liz Claiborne Inc., said: "These moves are in anticipation of the eventual retirement of Bob Zane who as senior vice president, manufacturing, sourcing, distribution and logistics crafted the vision and architecture of our current manufacturing strategy. Under Bob's guidance we have made great strides in achieving a distinct competitive advantage in this area. As we continue to evolve in the post-quota world, new technologies, increased sophistication and truly global partnerships will become increasingly important in determining our future success and we will need to shift with the environment. As such, we are evolving our structure to both facilitate and expedite realization of this vision."

New Roles & Responsibilities

As senior vice president reporting to Paul R. Charron, Mr. Zane will be active in developing the next phase of Liz Claiborne Inc.'s sourcing strategy and serve as special advisor to Mr. Charron on matters of foreign trade and vendor relationships. He will also serve as the Company's representative at the various trade associations and government agencies that deal with apparel sourcing and manufacturing.

Mr. Scarpa will continue as the corporation's chief financial officer, as well as assume responsibility for the Company's distribution and logistics organization managed by Joseph Giudice, vice president, distribution and logistics.

Mr. Sullivan will continue as the corporation's chief information officer, adding responsibility for the sourcing value chain to his current IT and customer service oversight responsibilities.

In support of this new structure Liz Claiborne Inc. announces the following additional promotions:

* Robert Vill to vice president, finance. In his expanded role, Mr. Vill will assume leadership responsibility for the Group Finance Directors who support our operating divisions while continuing his current duties in Investor Relations and Treasury. * Gary Ross to corporate vice president, global manufacturing & sourcing. Mr. Ross will continue to lead our global manufacturing and quality initiatives through our country managers and agents. In addition, he will assume direct responsibility for all non-apparel manufacturing. * Paula Zusi to corporate vice president, global manufacturing & sourcing. Ms. Zusi will oversee all apparel manufacturing, provide functional oversight to the manufacturing of Liz Claiborne apparel, and be responsible for all manufacturing operations at our West Coast businesses including Juicy Couture, Lucky Brand, Laundry By Shelli Segal and C&C California.

Liz Claiborne Inc. designs and markets an extensive range of fashion apparel and accessories for women, men, teens, children and infants. The Company also markets fragrances for women and men. The brands in the Liz Claiborne Inc. portfolio are available at over 30,000 points of sale worldwide.