Karabus Management announces key senior executive appointments
View this page in: FrançaisCompany expands senior leadership team to meet retailers’ demand for its financial performance improvement services
July 22, 2009 — As a result of retailers' increasing demand for its financial performance improvement services, Karabus Management Inc., a leading retail advisory firm and a subsidiary of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) in Canada, announced today that it has made three key senior executive appointments to help drive the firm's future growth. The appointments include the addition of Michael Unger as managing director, Merchandising Optimization, Farla Efros as managing director, Performance Improvement, and Isaac Krakovsky as vice president, Performance Improvement.
"Today's economic environment calls for retailers to look for new ways to impact sales, margins, inventory performance and their cost structures," said Antony Karabus, CEO of Karabus Management. "Mike, Farla and Isaac each bring a combination of retail consulting expertise and a strong retail industry background, which will provide our clients with the most creative yet practical solutions in helping them re-engineer their merchandising and inventory management strategies in this new retail landscape."
Michael Unger, managing director, Merchandising Optimization
Michael Unger brings more than 18 years of retail consulting and industry experience in merchandising, planning and store operations, including more than seven years at Deloitte Consulting. With keen insight into the key trends facing the retail industry, Mr. Unger will focus on helping the firm's retail clients drive improved performance through merchandise and assortment planning, inventory management and pricing optimization. His clients have included a wide range of leading retailers from Adidas and Nike to CVS and Rite Aid to LVMH and Harrod's. Mr. Unger was most recently a Principal of the Consumer Products and Retail Practice at Archstone Consulting. Prior to that, he spent more than seven years in the Consumer Products and Retail Practice at Deloitte Consulting and five years in the Merchandising Group at Macy's.
Farla Efros, managing director, Performance Improvement
Farla Efros has a key focus on merchandising and category management, having worked with many of the world's leading consumer packaged goods companies and retailers. She has developed and implemented strategic category business strategies and tactical plans across various retail sectors such as grocery, mass merchandise/discount, drug, value/dollar, automotive, office specialty, home centre and department store. Ms. Efros brings extensive expertise in the development of best practices category and customer management solutions including Corporate Strategy Development, Work Process Design, Organization Design, and Consumer and Shopper Research, among others. Prior to Karabus, Ms. Efros spent 10 years at The Partnering Group, Inc., where she served as a partner responsible for the development of best practices category, customer and trade promotion management, working with clients such as Universal Studios, Campbell's Soup Company, PetSmart and Wal-Mart. Prior to that, Ms. Efros spent nine years in the consumer packaged goods industry, working with such companies as Unilever Canada.
Isaac Krakovsky, vice president, Performance Improvement
With more than 20 years of expertise advising the retail industry, Isaac Krakovsky brings extensive retail consulting experience, gained at spending more than seven years in the retail practices at Deloitte Consulting and PwC. Most recently as vice president of SAP America, Mr. Krakovsky successfully built its retail industry expertise, which resulted in explosive revenue increase. As a senior manager at Deloitte, Mr. Krakovsky managed successful performance improvement engagements, thought leadership, and developed new implementation strategies for many leading retailers including Ross Stores, Longs Drugs and Gap Inc. Mr. Krakovsky's extensive retail consulting background also includes positions of increasing responsibility at PwC, Steven Madden Ltd, Century 21 Department Stores, and Macy's East.
About Karabus Management Inc.
Karabus Management Inc., a subsidiary of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Canada LLP, is a leading North American retail advisory firm that helps retailers significantly improve their operational and financial performance. The firm's more than 50 dedicated retail consultants work with many of North America's leading retailers. Karabus Management has worked extensively with numerous retailers to develop and execute turnaround and other business improvement plans in the face of challenging retail economic climates. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.karabus.com.About PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
PricewaterhouseCoopers (www.pwc.com) provides industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services to build public trust and enhance value for its clients and their stakeholders. More than 155,000 people in 153 countries across our network share their thinking, experience and solutions to develop fresh perspectives and practical advice. In Canada, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (www.pwc.com/ca) and its related entities have more than 5,200 partners and staff in offices across the country.
“PricewaterhouseCoopers” refers to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an Ontario limited liability partnership, or, as the context requires, the PricewaterhouseCoopers global network or other member firms of the network, each of which is a separate and independent legal entity.
