David F. Kozel

He also partners with boards of directors on compensation, nominating, governance, and corporate responsibility matters as well as on the human capital components of corporate goals, strategies, and inclusion and diversity initiatives. In addition, he has extensive experience in succession planning for CEOs and boards, including the recruitment, acquisition, and onboarding of candidates.

Most recently, Dave was Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer, for PVH Corporation, the NYSE-listed (PVH) wholesale/retail clothing company with ~10B in revenues, operations in 40+ countries, and 40,000+ global employees. In this position since 2003, he was a member of the PVH senior leadership team and led all HR activity, including Talent Management/Development, Compensation/Benefits, HR Systems, Inclusion/Diversity, Corporate Communications, Executive Development, PVH Foundation, and Facilities. He also interacted with the Board of Directors’ Compensation, Nominating/Governance, and Corporate Responsibility committees.

Key among Dave’s contributions was the integral role he played in PVH’s transformation from a $2B in revenue company with 9,000 North American employees in 2003 to a ~$10B company with 40,000+ global employees. In this capacity, he directed HR due diligence and executed the post-transaction integrations for PVH’s acquisitions of Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, and Warnaco, including the transition of 25,000 employees from those companies to PVH’s HR systems and HR policies and programs.

To support the company’s global growth, Dave launched a number of new functional areas within the HR organization and partnered with leaders throughout the company to create new global functions and areas of expertise to meet business needs. In particular, he advanced PVH’s important digital transformation by leveraging technologies – including the rollout of Workday as PVH’s global HR operating system – preparing the company for key technology and systemsrollouts, and upskilling associates through digital literacy training.

During 18+ years at PVH, Dave also introduced a comprehensive portfolio of new policies and programs, including a digitalrecognition platform, an Associate Relief Fund, a total rewards platform, and updated parental leave and remote work policies. He launched an Inclusion & Diversity program and PVH University, the company’s award-winning program to support continuous learning and enabling associates to reach their full potential through training, leadership development and exposure to evolving ideas. Under Dave’s leadership, PVH was certified as a “Great Place to Work,” named one of Forbes’ Best Employers for Diversity and Women, earned 100% on the HRC Corporate Equality Index, and wasrecognized on the Diversity Best PracticesInclusion Index.

Prior to PVH, Dave served as Executive Vice President, Human Resources (1999 – 2003) at the J. Crew Group Inc. and held executive positions in HR at Grey Advertising, Deluxe Electronic Payment Systems, and Citicorp. He began his career at Pacific Gas and Electric in human resources and labor relations roles.

Dave has been honored as one of the “HR Executives of the Year” by the American Business Awardsin 2020 and was also named to Human Resource Executive magazine’s HR Honor Roll in 2018 for his outstanding contributions exemplifying the increasingly strategic role of HR in business today. He earned a Master of Arts in Industrial Relations from the University of Illinois and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Lehigh University. He and his family live in Westport, CT.