Bain & Company names Erika as US Retail Practice Head

In her new role, Ms. Serow will continue to work directly with clients, as well as focus on expanding the firm's Retail Practice in North and South America. She will also work with practice heads in other regions, as well as key partners in the Americas, to refine the firm’s expertise in helping retail clients through fundamental industry changes as online and mobile become an integrated component of how consumers choose stores and products.

Ms. Serow has advised senior executives across the retail spectrum, with a focus on the retail apparel sector. She has worked extensively with specialty stores, department stores, luxury and apparel manufacturers. She has also advised leading private equity funds on managing their portfolios of retail brands. Her expertise and analysis help clients to improve the way they reach their customers by delivering the right mix of merchandise, to align their efforts across stores, the Internet, and mobile, and to improve their cash positions through rigorous cost reduction and inventory control programs.

“Erika’s role as a leader in the firm’s thinking about retail made her a natural fit for a formal leadership appointment,” said Mr. Rigby. “At a time when the retail industry is changing more drastically than it has in over a generation, her command of the industry and her energy will be a huge asset to clients and teams within Bain.”

“I am excited to take on this new role to help Bain retail partners find new areas of growth given the wave of change that we think is just starting to build,” said Ms. Serow.

Ms. Serow has led several retail-related studies, including “Why She Shops: The 2010 Fashion and Beauty Study,” in cooperation with Vogue, which surveyed more than 5,000 female shoppers and evaluated 134 apparel, accessory and beauty brands to identify the preferences and purchase behaviors of female consumers and the winning characteristics of the brands that they buy.

She also served as knowledge partner for the “Fashion.NYC.2020” study with the New York City Economic Development Corporation, which examined the challenges facing the fashion industry over the coming decade and identified initiatives to address those issues.

Ms. Serow joined Bain in 1995 as an Associate Consultant and was promoted to Partner in 2006. She has also worked in Bain’s Boston, London, Sydney, and Milan offices. She earned an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and is a graduate of Duke University, where she received a B.A. in sociology and Italian. She has also been awarded the Women Leaders in Consulting Future Leader Award by Consulting magazine.

Bain & Company