Abercrombie & Fitch picks next general counsel

Abercrombie & Fitch has hired Gregory Henchel as senior vice president and its next general counsel.

Henchel will join the clothing company on October 1, 2018. He succeeds Robert Bostrom, the current senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, and will lead Abercrombie & Fitch’s global legal department as well as serve as corporate secretary. He will report to CEO Fran Horowitz.

Henchel previously served as chief legal officer for TV retailer HSN. Before that, he served as general counsel at Tween Brands. Earlier in his career, he was assistant general counsel at Cardinal Health and a litigation associate at Jones Day.

In a statement, Horowitz says: ‘We are pleased to welcome Greg to [Abercrombie & Fitch] and our family of brands. With his strong background in retail, and broad range of legal expertise, we look forward to his strategic guidance and support as we continue to transform our company and grow our brands globally.’

According to a regulatory filing in late July announcing his departure, Bostrom will continue to serve as senior vice president and special counsel until March 31, 2019, or an earlier date after December 31, 2018 if he opts to do so.

The filing states that Bostrom joined Abercrombie & Fitch in January 2014 to help the company through the resolution of a then-pending proxy fight and the adoption of corporate governance reforms accompanying changes to the composition of the board of directors.

In a statement, a spokesperson said last month: ‘Bob has played a critical role in supporting the board and the company through an important period in the company’s development, including spearheading the creation and implementation of a new corporate governance structure, aligned with industry best practices. We are grateful to him for his many contributions and wish him all the best as he seeks new challenges.’