The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) has appointed Hildy Kuryk as interim CEO as the organisation begins searching for a permanent successor to Steven Kolb.
Kuryk will oversee the organisation during the transition, with the search for a permanent chief executive expected to take between three and six months. The CFDA is working with Karen Harvey Consulting Group to find its next leader.
Kuryk brings experience across politics, communications, fashion, and strategic consulting to the interim position.
Before moving into consulting, she served as executive director of communications at Vogue from 2013 to 2017. Her career also includes approximately 15 years in politics, including a role as national finance director for the Democratic National Committee.
In 2017, Kuryk co-founded Artemis Strategies, a boutique consultancy that has worked with organisations and brands including Condé Nast, Nordstrom, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Her combination of communications expertise and experience working across major cultural and fashion organisations positions her to provide continuity while the CFDA undertakes its leadership search.
The appointment follows Steven Kolb’s resignation as CFDA chief executive officer and president earlier this month.
CFDA board chairman Thom Browne said the organisation’s focus during the search is on identifying a leader who can guide the CFDA into its next chapter. He also thanked Kuryk for her interim leadership, particularly her role in maintaining a connection between the board and staff during the transition.
The permanent appointment will determine the organisation’s leadership direction as the CFDA continues to represent and support American fashion designers and the wider U.S. fashion industry.
Kolb’s resignation came days after an incident involving PETA protesters during New York Fashion Week.
The confrontation occurred on September 13 at the COS show, where animal-rights activists disrupted the runway to protest the use of wool. Video footage from the incident showed Kolb physically intervening with two protesters.
His subsequent departure prompted the CFDA to begin looking for new permanent leadership.
Kuryk’s interim appointment gives the CFDA a bridge between Kolb’s departure and the eventual arrival of a permanent CEO. With the leadership search expected to continue for several months, her immediate role will be to provide stability while the organisation evaluates potential candidates.
The next permanent CEO will inherit responsibility for leading one of the most prominent organisations representing American fashion designers. For now, Kuryk’s appointment marks the beginning of a new leadership phase for the CFDA, with the industry waiting to see who will ultimately take the organisation forward.
