Former Vince CFO joins The Children's Place

John Szczepanski joins The Children’s Place from luxury apparel retailer Vince.

The Children’s Place has made new leadership appointments, including an addition to its C-suite.

The specialty children’s apparel retailer has announced the appointment of John Szczepanski as chief financial officer, effective March 31, 2025. As CFO, Szczepanski will oversee finance, accounting, financial planning & analysis, tax, treasury, procurement, investor relations, internal audit and real estate.

Szczepanski most recently served as CFO of Vince Holding Corp., and will officially depart from the role on March 28 after more than a year with the company. Prior to that position, he spent more than 18 years in various roles at Ralph Lauren.

“Today marks an exciting new chapter for our company as we welcome John to be our CFO,” said Muhammad Umair, who was named interim CEO last spring following the departure of longtime CEO Jane Elfers. “During this critical time in our planning and implementation of new business strategies, John brings a wealth of finance experience in retail and manufacturing that will help guide us through our company’s future development. We are delighted to have him join our team as we continue to build strong and efficient business operations and drive a financial strategy that can lay the groundwork for the company’s long-term success.”

The Children’s Place also made two other recent leadership appointments. Kristin Clifford was named senior VP, head of sourcing, effective Feb. 3, and Smeeta Khetarpaul was named senior VP, head of marketing, effective Feb. 24. Both are reporting to Claudia Lima-Guinehut, brand president of The Children’s Place.