The Gymboree Corporation Names Mark Breitbard CEO

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Gymboree Corporation ("Gymboree") today announced the appointment of Mark Breitbard as the company's new Chief Executive Officer. An accomplished retail executive, Breitbard will join Gymboree from Gap Inc., where he most recently served as President of Gap North America, and previously as the Executive Vice President of GapKids and babyGap.

Breitbard's appointment at Gymboree is effective January 14, 2013, when he assumes his responsibilities from interim CEO Kip M. Garcia. Garcia will resume his former duties as President when Breitbard joins the company, and interim Chief Operating Officer Yvonne Hao will continue to work closely with the Gymboree management team as she returns to her role as an Operating Partner at Bain Capital.

Breitbard brings to Gymboree a distinguished retail career in positions of increasing responsibility with leading apparel brands. In addition to his experience at Gap brand, Breitbard previously served as President of Levi's U.S. retail and held executive leadership positions at Abercrombie & Fitch, Banana Republic and Old Navy. In these various roles, Breitbard has worked successfully across a variety of functions including merchandising, real estate, marketing, web commerce, and sourcing. He has a demonstrated track record of creating effective go-to-market strategies that optimize product appeal, customer experience in store and online, and marketing initiatives.

"I am thrilled by the opportunity to join Gymboree, an established leader in the children's apparel market with strong brands, a loyal and valuable customer franchise, a values-based culture, and a passionate team," said Breitbard. "I look forward to working with our associates and leadership team to build on the strategies they've developed and drive our growth opportunities in our core business, in our new concepts such as Crazy 8, and in our international markets."