The Council of Fashion Designers of America has a new interim CEO in the wake of Steven Kolb’s resignation. Hildy Kuryk is filling the role on a temporary contract until a permanent successor is found, the CFDA announced. The organization is working with Karen Harvey Consulting Group to lead the search, which it expects will take three to six months.
“As we begin the search for CFDA’s next CEO, the Board is focused on identifying a leader who can guide the organization into its next chapter,” said Thom Browne, CFDA board chairman, in a statement on Monday. “We are grateful to Hildy Kuryk for providing steady interim leadership and a strong connection between the Board and staff during this period.”
Though Kuryk doesn’t currently have ties to the CFDA, she’s no stranger to fashion. She served as Vogue’s executive director of communications from 2013 to 2017, where she worked directly with Anna Wintour. In 2017, she co-founded Artemis Strategies, a boutique consultancy, where she has worked with Condé Nast as well as clients like Nordstrom and The Met. Before Vogue, Kuryk spent 15 years in politics, most recently as the national finance director for the Democratic National Committee.
The CFDA’s search for a permanent CEO will continue while Kuryk oversees the transition, acting as a liaison between the CFDA staff and the board. She will remain in her current role at Artemis simultaneously. The nonprofit trade organization — which coordinates initiatives like New York Fashion Week, the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund and the CFDA Fashion Awards — lost its longtime CEO Kolb in the fallout of controversy at the COS show on September 13, when Kolb was seen on video restraining Peta protesters. The video went viral online, and Kolb resigned five days later.
