Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) has announced the addition of Kristin Kohler Burrows, who joins as a Senior Director in its Private Equity Performance Improvement practice in New York.

Burrows brings more than 20 years of experience leading athletic and fashion brands across wholesale, eCommerce and retail, including GH Bass, Keds, Converse, Fila and the Camuto Group. With a proven track record as a change agent, she has spent her career transforming and turning around businesses to deliver growth and earnings improvement in difficult environments. Kristin delivers results by leading teams to formulate a unique market positioning; unlocking customer insights; creating more differentiated merchandise, a focus on the in-store experience; and expanding use and leverage of digital/social marketing.

Prior to A&M, Burrows was the CEO of the largest brick and mortar women's consignment retailer. There, she delivered multiple years of comp store growth by creating a relentless focus on the customer experience, transforming store operations, and launching a new loyalty program that combined with new eCommerce / social commerce business models. She also instituted a new culture focused on leveraging data and analytics more effectively to drive business.

 “The retail industry is moving rapidly to new models, be that in their omni-channel strategy, core operations as well as the extension of their brand into new categories. It is critical that we have the right team of experts who can adeptly navigate the potential upside for our clients,” said Nick Alvarez, Managing Director and National Practice Leader of Alvarez & Marsal’s Private Equity Performance Improvement Group.

“As legacy brands find it difficult to keep up with changing retail landscape, the focus on digital-first retail is driving the discussion for profitable growth,” said, Mike Simoncic,  Managing Director and Retail Leader in the firm’s Private Equity Performance Improvement practice. “Kristin has a proven ability to drive growth in a sector that is ever changing. We are excited for her to join our retail team.”

Burrows earned an MBA from the Harvard Business School, a master’s degree in Marketing Communications from Boston University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Vermont in Political Science.