As summer winds down, industry players are getting back to work with a slew of new hires and promotions. Read on for Business of Home’s monthly roundup of arrivals and departures in design, manufacturing, media and more.

Design & Architecture

Determined by Design has announced the promotion of Sequoyah Hunter-Cuyjet to vice president, a new position created by the organization’s president, Kia Weatherspoon. Hunter-Cuyjet, a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College with a Master of Fine Arts in interior design from Moore College of Art and Design, currently works as a design educator, spearheading panel discussions and industry initiatives to promote a more equitable and inclusive design profession. Along with serving organizations such as the IIDA, Design Diversely and Hospitality Design magazine, she has been an adjunct professor at Drexel University since 2019, where she is the only Native American design faculty member.

Alameda, California–based architecture and design firm MBH Architects has appointed former senior associates Kevin Albaugh and Monica Jamlang Do as principals. Albaugh, who has served the firm for nearly 20 years, began his career with MBH as a project architect before becoming a technical director and serving within the Retail and Restaurant Studio. Do previously served as studio director of a single-brand international retail studio at MBH, in which she operated the high-volume program while growing her own team internally.

Dallas-based design, procurement and project management firm Premier has announced the addition of five new executives to the team. Hector Sanchez joins as CEO, following a role as senior vice president at Rubicon Oilfield International; Lynn Linczyc will become senior vice president of procurement, after holding a similiar position at Roseland Residential Trust; Ryan Kimura joins as senior vice president of strategic partnerships, following a role as industry principal at RealPage; Rex Tullius arrives at the company as vice president of strategic partnerships, after serving as president at Legacy Development; and Franklin Piñerúa comes on as regional vice president of Latin America and the Caribbean, bringing 15 years of combined sales and operational management experience.

At BAMO design firm, Elaine Hwa Smith and Lindsay Noelting have been promoted to associates. Smith’s promotion coincides with her 20th anniversary at the firm, during which time she worked on projects such as the Four Seasons hotels in Bora Bora and São Paulo, as well as new venture capital office spaces in San Francisco’s Ferry Building. Noelting first joined the company in 2013, completing projects like the Four Seasons Madrid and various private residences in the Bay Area and Hawaii.

The architecture, design and strategy firm Nelson Worldwide has welcomed multidisciplinary designer Marco Oppici as retail design leader in the company’s New York office. Oppici formerly served as creative director and vice president of store design for Saks Fifth Avenue/HBC Corporation, building on a specialty for experiential retail design influenced by previous cross-market work in high-end hospitality and retail projects.

Media & PR

At Jo Communications, Mary Mullen has been promoted to director of brand communications, building on her six years with the company. The firm has also brought on two new hires—Erin Baebler joins as account supervisor from Wagstaff Worldwide, while Abigail Yonker comes on as communications manager following a position as former social media editor with the Everygirl Media Group.

Retail & Manufacturing

Gabriella White LLC has announced the formation of an advisory board of directors, which will meet twice a year to oversee the brand’s growth of the Summer Classics and Gabby brands. Founder and chief executive officer Bew White will lead the group as executive chairman of the board, and William White will transition to the role of CEO, while Greg Goetcheus will assume the role of president. As for the board, the brand has tapped James B. Hardy Jr., president of Maker & Son; H.R. Harvey, former president of Frontgate and Grandin Road; Alex Morton, executive vice president and Birmingham Market president at First Horizon Bank; John Byrd Norris, managing director of wealth and investments at Oakworth Capital Bank; Jim Rotch of counsel, corporate securities and tax at Maynard Cooper; and Joni Vanderslice, founder, president and designer at J. Banks Design Group.

At Century Furniture, Guy Holbrook has been promoted to executive vice president of sales and marketing. He joined the company five years ago as vice president of sales, and previously held the same position at both Belle Meade Signature and Classic Leather.

Kitchen design brand St. Charles New York has announced the appointment of Bell Stephen Chen as chief financial officer. A 20-year veteran of the luxury sector, Chen brings executive experience with companies like Prada, Pace Gallery LLC and USA Corporation, along with his most recent position as director of finance and operations for Lévy Gorvy LLC’s Asia division.

German sleep brand Emma has brought on U.S. retail expert Scott Smalling as chief commercial and innovations director. Smalling joins the team from a previous position as executive vice president of global sales and marketing at the Seoul-based iOBED, during which time he also founded the NGO Relief Bed International in 2016.

The Neiman Marcus brand PR team has welcomed Lisa Aiken as senior vice president and fashion and lifestyle director. In the position, Aiken will work to identify emerging brands and discover new trends and services across the fashion and lifestyle space.

Coastal Shower Doors has made several new appointments to its board of directors, promoting Andres Arrubla, who serves as the company’s vice president of general counsel; Patrick Cobb, who has been with the company for 15 years and currently holds the position of vice president of marketing; and Robbie Dedrick, who has been with the company for more than six years and currently serves as vice president of sales.

Industry Organizations

Durham, North Carolina–based designer Don Ricardo Massenburg has been appointed design chair of High Point x Design’s board of directors. Tapped to serve as the organization’s designer representative, Massenburg brings experience as a former Style Spotter, speaker, panelist and moderator at High Point Market, as well as founder of the residential and commercial firm Design Inkredible.

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