Furniture maker appoints board member

Furniture maker appoints board member

Mike Smith. Courtesy Herman Miller

A West Michigan furniture maker has appointed a new board member to lead its “digital transformation initiatives.”

Zeeland-based Herman Miller said last week its board unanimously appointed Mike Smith — president and COO of Stitch Fix — to the board and its audit committee.

Smith’s term is effective immediately and expires at the annual meeting of shareholders, likely to be held in October.

“Mike is a transformational digital leader, and we are pleased to welcome a pioneer of his caliber to our board,” said Mike Volkema, board chair, Herman Miller. “As we accelerate our focus on being an even more dynamic and consumer-centric company, Mike’s experience will be incredibly relevant and valuable.”

Andi Owen, president and CEO of Herman Miller, said Smith will play a “key role at an important time of expansion” for the company.

“His expertise and passion for building smart, efficient and customer-centric online experiences will help us improve our customer experience across the board and drive growth for our global businesses,” Owen said.

Smith said he is “honored” to join a company with values so similar to his.

“Herman Miller has demonstrated a commitment to innovative design and manufacturing, and there is so much growth opportunity ahead for the company,” Smith said.

Herman Miller has 11 board members from a variety of industries, including retail, health care and financial services.

Smith’s background

Smith has worked in the online consumer sector for more than 15 years, with leadership positions in ecommerce, operations, customer experience and finance.

He joined Stitch Fix in 2012 and was “instrumental” in helping to scale the business from a startup to a large public company.

Prior to Stitch Fix, Smith was COO of Walmart.com, where he oversaw all operations for the $5-billion division.

He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and an M.B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.