Worldly expands C-suite with 2 new hires

Dive Brief:

• Worldly, a platform that tracks environmental and social impact data for the apparel and footwear industry, has expanded its C-suite by adding a new chief product officer and chief marketing and content officer, according to a press release last week.
• Kevin Vranes was named chief product officer, and Jay Gaines was appointed chief marketing and content officer. In the release, Worldly said the hires will help with product innovation and go-to-market strategies as it “ramps up growth initiatives.”
• Vranes and Gaines are the latest in a series of new hires for the platform, following the appointments of CEO Scott Raskin last July and CFO Francois Thrower in September.

Dive Insight:

Worldly rebranded from its former name, Higg Co, in May 2023. The platform hosts the Higg Materials Sustainability Index, which was initially developed by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition — now Cascale — to measure the sustainability of a garment. The consumer-facing part of the program has been paused since it was flagged by the Norwegian Consumer Authority in 2022 for greenwashing claims.

Almost 400 brands use the Worldly platform, and it connects to almost 50,000 individual factories, chief strategy officer James Schaffer previously told Fashion Dive. The platform aims to help customers use data to comply with various disclosure regulations, including the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, and keep track of science-based targets for their sustainability goals.

“Our mission is to help the consumer goods industry make clear, credible progress toward sustainability goals, and we believe that at the heart of this effort is comprehensive, actionable data,” Raskin said in the release. “Kevin and Jay will expertly contribute to Worldly’s development of the Higg Index along with new innovative solutions and their delivery to the market in ways that resonate with our customers and underline our dedication to supporting them towards a compliant and sustainable future.”

Vranes joins Worldly after working with Salesforce and leading the development of the company’s Net Zero Cloud product, per the release. He additionally worked in executive and leadership roles in the high-tech, cleantech, energy and environmental sectors and served as a congressional science fellow on Capitol Hill, per the release. 

Gaines was most recently chief marketing officer at AgentSync. He was previously CMO and research fellow of Sirius Decisions, where he led the “development and delivery of frameworks, strategies and data-driven insights to business executives, helping clients make decisions and implement strategies to maximize their growth and brand value.”

Worldly launched its Facility Data Manager tool in May, which helps businesses track progress toward their decarbonization targets.