Emily Essner
Member Board of Trustees @ City and Country School
About
I am a strategic commercial leader with a passion for shaping the future of fashion and luxury through customer-centric innovation, data-informed decision-making, and high-performance team culture. As President & Chief Commercial Officer at Saks Global, I led cross-functional teams to drive growth, elevate customer experience, and deepen the connection between brands and the modern luxury consumer. I built strategies that balance brand heritage with modern relevance — from redefining go-to-market approaches to empowering selling associates as the heartbeat of the customer journey. Previously, I shaped marketing and digital transformation as Chief Marketing Officer for Saks Fifth Avenue, where I championed data-driven personalization, innovative marketing investments, and growth across multiple channels. I began my career in strategy and finance, honing analytical rigor and business insight at McKinsey & Company and Morgan Stanley. My academic foundation includes an MBA from Columbia Business School and a degree in International Relations and Spanish from Mount Holyoke College. I serve on the Board of Trustees at City and Country School, and I’m deeply committed to mentorship, inclusive leadership, and developing talent that reflects the ambition of the global luxury marketplace. I thrive at the intersection of strategy, creativity, and operational execution — building sustainable growth engines while creating environments where people and performance can flourish.
United States
New York
Retail
Business Strategy, Financial Analysis, Corporate Development, Management Consulting, Competitive Analysis, Business Development, Strategy, Retail
Experience
Member Board of Trustees
City and Country School
New York, New York, United States
Member, Board of Directors
FASHIONPHILE
Carlsbad, California, United States
President & Chief Commercial Officer
Saks Global
New York, United States
Saks Global brings together the iconic Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue brands •Responsible for all revenue-driving activities across merchandising, stores, ecommerce, marketing and analytics for largest luxury omni-channel retailer in the world, spanning Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman •Architected the long-range growth strategy to position the Company as the partner of choice for the world’s leading luxury brands •Defined brand strategies and positioning for Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman to drive brand distinctiveness and maximize growth potential •Integrated Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus Group Commercial organizations, redesigning structure, processes and systems; introduced new ways of working to support operating model •Exceeded in-year and long-range cost synergy goals •Led development of merchandising growth strategies and presented at major industry events Industry Awards: •Women’s Wear Daily: 55 Women in Power, 2025 •Footwear News: Women Who Rock, Class of 2025
Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Ecommerce, Saks Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue
New York, New York
•Responsible for all aspects of marketing, including media/performance marketing allocation and investment, CRM, loyalty, creative, brand/PR and measurement •Led the Saks.com business, driving substantial revenue and customer growth, following separation from the Stores entity •Transformed the role of the Marketing organization to become a key driver of enterprise growth and value creation •Transformed measurement capabilities by establishing LTV/CAC frameworks, implementing media mix modeling and embedding ROAS-based decisioning to optimize investment •Oversaw the strategic and commercial performance of Saks.com, activating growth levers across marketing, assortment and site experience, loyalty to expand reach, deepen customer engagement and improve profitability Industry Awards: •Ad Age — Tech Power List, 2024 •Women in Retail Leadership Circle — Top Women in Retail, 2024 •Luxury Daily — Luxury Woman to Watch, 2021
SVP, Marketing & Digital
Saks Fifth Avenue
SVP, Marketing and Business Operations
Saks Fifth Avenue
Vice President, Business Operations
Saks Fifth Avenue
Vice President of Corporate Strategy
Saks Fifth Avenue
Sr. Director of Corporate Strategy
Saks Fifth Avenue
Director of Corporate Strategy
Saks Fifth Avenue
Senior Associate
McKinsey & Company
Director, Operations & Finance
partnrUP
Investment Banking Analyst
Morgan Stanley
Education
Columbia Business School
Mount Holyoke College
International Relations and Spanish
Chadwick School
Emily Essner's Contact Information
Phone
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