Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Soft-Tex Expands Senior Leadership Team
October 27,
2020 by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry 
Sleep product manufacturer Soft-Tex International has announced three additions to its senior leadership team including VP of IT and Administration Susan Kendall, VP of Commercialization Danielle Ignazzi, and VP of Quality Christine McKiernan and the launch of a new continuous process improvement team.
"We're thrilled to establish these extremely talented women in critical roles at Soft-Tex, each brings tremendous expertise and experience to further our growth as a leading innovator in the home product space," said Mark Smiderle, Soft-Tex principal.
Kendall has been promoted to vice president of IT and Administration and will lead critical operational processes, drive strategy and lead cross-functional initiatives for the company’s technology stack with specific emphasis on MRP and production. Kendall has been a key contributor to Soft-Tex's growth over her 18-year tenure, serving in a variety of management roles within the company. Prior to joining Soft-Tex, Kendall spent her career in retail and management.
Ignazzi joins Soft-Tex as vice president of commercialization and will bring new products, brands and ideas to market. Ignazzi joins the company after 5 years at Bed Bath & Beyond, recently working as the buyer for Basic Bedding and previously served in merchandise and planning at The Children's Place and Lord & Taylor. Ignazzi brings considerable retail knowledge and textile expertise to the Soft-Tex team. She graduated from New York University's Leonard N. Stern School of Business.
McKiernan joins Soft-Tex as vice president of quality leading the company’s global quality assurance programs. McKiernan worked in quality assurance her entire career with deep expertise in food manufacturing and pharmaceuticals and joins Soft-Tex after a seven-year tenure at DSM, where she served as director of quality for North America. She is a graduate of Dartmouth College.
Kendall, Ignazzi, and McKiernan will also lead the new Continuous Process Improvement team at Soft-Tex, designed to continually improve and streamline operations- accelerating the company's growth and commercialization of new innovations.