Walker Edison Announces Four New Team Members

December 9, 2020  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry   

“We are continuing to drive growth as an organization by prioritizing the customer experience, improving our partner experience, embedding operational excellence, and accelerating growth,” said Joana McKenna, president. “These additions to our growing team will help us achieve these internal goals and continue to succeed as a company.” 

To help with the priority of transforming the customer experience, they have turned Customer Service into its own department and appointed Olivia Frere as the director of customer service. Frere has worked customer service for nearly 10 years; she has learned that the most important part of her job is how the customer feels when they hang up the phone or sign off an email. Frere is a people person who thrives on making an impact and creating long-lasting relationships. She enjoys creating those positive experiences both professionally and personally. 

Erika Henderson has also recently been appointed as Walker Edison’s head of design development. Henderson leads both the Design and Product management teams, which includes collaboration with Sales, Strategy, Supply Chain and Marketing. Henderson is an innovative, enthusiastic creative, offering extensive experience in product design, development, sourcing, merchandising and interiors. Henderson has spent 20 years designing and developing furniture, lighting, and accessories for retailers including Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn. Kids/Teen, Smith & Hawken, Pier 1, Costco, Target, and Crate & Barrel. She is focused on designing and delivering high-end home furnishings within all areas of the home, throughout every stage of life. 

Sharat Alankar is joining the company in the newly created role of vice president of Strategy & Analytics. Alankar will lead the strategy of Walker Edison’s corporate business, including assortment strategy, new business development, operational excellence, project management and analytics. Alankar is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he studied Electrical Engineering. He began his career in finance at JP Morgan before co-founding Origin, a fintech marketplace based in London. Most recently he led Marketplace Strategy, Operations & Enablement at Walmart eCommerce, where he also held positions leading Analytics & Business Intelligence and Corporate Incubation.

Walker Edison has also added a new position to their organization, General Manager of Retail Operations. They have appointed Joshua Bradley to fill this role. Bradley is an experienced professional in building out retail stores, and at his last position built out over 32 stores across the United States. He will be in charge of the only brick-and-mortar aspect of Walker Edison, the storefront warehouse attached to their corporate headquarters in West Jordan, Utah.