Will Smith (Businessman)

Will Smith is a senior executive with demonstrated leadership, strategic thinking, marketing and general management track record. He currently serves as SVP and Chief Marketing Office, PetSmart, since 2019/09.

Personal Attributes and Interests

Mr. Smith and his wife Nancy currently live in Cave Creek, Arizona and have two children, Lauren and Jordan.

Work Experience

Most recently, he served as the CMO of Abercrombie & Fitch, where he led the global marketing efforts for the company’s iconic lifestyle brands – Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister and Abercrombie Kids.
Mr. Smith also formerly held the CMO role at Caleres, a company previously known as Brown Shoe Company. During his tenure there, he drove the strategic repositioning of Famous Footwear, upgraded the in-store communications and design, led the brand’s foray into digital and social media, accelerated e-commerce sales and traffic and contemporized all customer contact strategies and tactics.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Smith gained strong retail, wholesale, and brand building experience having worked in senior brand management positions for iconic packaged goods companies such as Kraft Foods and Philip Morris USA, in entertainment as VP of Marketing for Urban Music at Atlantic Records, and as GM for Blackground Records, and in fashion apparel as Group Vice President of Marketing for Kate Spade/Liz Claiborne Retail.

Board and Advisor Roles

Mr. Smith served on the Board of Directors of the Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern & Southwest Missouri & Southern Illinois.

Philanthropy, Community Service and Memberships

Mr. Smith is a founding member of the Black Executive CMO Alliance (BECA). He formally served on the National Board of Trustees for the March of Dimes, a non-profit organization which provides a wide range of services to people with disabilities. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern & Southwest Missouri & Southern Illinois.

Education

Mr. Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Cornell University as well as an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.