American Apparel Inc. announced Monday the appointment of Scott Brubaker as interim CEO of the Los Angeles-based company and Hassan Natha as executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective immediately.
Brubaker, who is 43, is a managing director at Alvarez & Marsal. He has served in interim officer and other advisory roles for several specialty retailers and manufacturers during his 21 years in the industry.
Natha, 55, has more than 20 years of experience in finance with both public and private companies, including service as CFO at Fisher Communications Inc. and Jones Soda Co. He also spent 10 years at Nike’s Bauer Nike Hockey Inc. in various finance and executive operations roles.
They will replace John Luttrell, who is leaving the company, while a search for a permanent CEO is underway. Luttrell had served as interim CEO and CFO since the ouster of company founder Dov Charney in June.
Brubaker affirmed his support for American Apparel’s sweatshop-free, “Made in USA” manufacturing philosophy and commitment to maintain the company’s manufacturing headquarters in Los Angeles.
The company also announced the promotions of longtime employees Patricia Honda and Nicolle Gabbay to the positions of president of Wholesale and president of Retail, respectively.
Charney, who owns about 27 percent of American Apparel, has been the target of sexual harassment lawsuits and accused of misusing company money for personal expenses, among other things. The board removed him when he refused to resign.
