Sheila Higgins Email & Phone Number

Westport, Connecticut, United States

Brown Harris StevensIt takes agents with a #masteryofthecraft to make your goals a reality.

Westport, Connecticut, United States

Connecticut, United States

Working with Leadership to bring People, Process and Innovation together. We make process WORK Continuous Process Improvement, Process Development, Sourcing Strategies And Calendar resulting in faster, leaner strategies to bring product to market.

Greater New York City Area

Principal, Old Highway Associates 2008-Present• Consulted retail and wholesale businesses in Design, Product Development and Manufacturing • Created operational and cross-functional calendars for merchandising and product development• Implemented processes to improve daily business operations including calendars, sourcing plans and role mapping.• Managed clients from Apparel, Home, Pet Products, and Event Planning industriesBetsey Johnson – Consultant (2010-2012) • Oversaw team of 17 that was responsible for Product Development through Production in support of main Betsey Johnson line and launch of new XOX Betsey diffusion line. • Implemented new PD team to support Design and better execute show, sales and fit samples.• Revised sourcing structure to better meet the margin and lead-time needs of the business• Improved processes throughout the business including calendar, fit approval and quality control processes.

Nyc

Division of American Eagle Outfitters• Managed team of 23 in Fabric/Color, Technical Design and Production/Sourcing• Evaluated existing organizational structure and assessed talent to optimize performance• Analyzed sourcing base to identify areas for improvement; resulted in a 15-20% overall margin improvement• Created integrated process for Color/Fabric team including color standards and development plans• Developed Sourcing Roadmap to project a 3-5 year view and outlined necessary support structure• Strategized sourcing improvements for vendor, country, category penetration and proposed migration plans • Established a collaborative environment integrating processes to align cross-functional teams. • Mentored Managers in their roles through open communication and constant team building • Partnered with Managing Director of Import Agent to evaluate staff, recruit talent and build an effective organization

Nyc

• Led a team of 25 associates and 5 direct reports handling development, sourcing, procurement and production to support $500m retail apparel business• Created an integrated global development and sourcing team with associates throughout Asia• Analyzed sourcing base, identified core partners and streamlined suppliers for a more cost efficient, faster supply chain• Collaborated with Merchandising on line development, retail/cost structure and fabric/color assortment• Managed product from creative hand-off to final garment delivery• Delivered product in current season to support demand that was 15% above plan • Negotiated all costs and deliveries with vendors with 8% increase in margin and reduced delivery times• Supported corporate initiatives for the implementation of new processes including STM (speed to market)• Improved supply chain through new initiatives, (RFT–right first time) which reduced development time by 4 weeks• Created a strategic growth plan to support future growth from $1B to $2B+ by developing a new end-to end process• Developed flexibility within the supply chain that improved the fill rate from 70% to 90%

Nyc

Responsible for merchandising all private label Folio collections and market vendors for Bridge. Also, oversaw the development process for all private label product.

Nyc

Responsible for all Product Development for Henri Bendel private label. Collaborated with Merchant team on selection of product mix and executed the development development and approval of all private label product. Created seasonal palette and style direction.

Associate Of Arts And Sciences (A.A.S.), Liberal Arts And Sciences/Liberal Studies

Education record