Leadership in Asset Protection

Kevin Colman

Macy's Group Vice President, Asset Protection

This past October Macy's named Kevin Colman its new Group Vice President of Asset Protection. Which not only meant that for the first time in decades Macy's had a new senior leader leading the effort but it also marked the beginning of a new era, where the largest department store and 7th largest online retailer in the U.S. changed the name of the function from that of Loss Prevention to Asset Protection.

While a simple name change may not appear to be much at first glance, this subtle change is significant and impacts the entire direction and philosophy of the function. Especially when led by a leader who learned early in life that it's always about doing what's right, doing whatever it takes, being willing to work hard, having the right attitude, having the right people, and never turning down a challenge.

Having these critical philosophies embedded early in life, Kevin started his career at Macy's in 1994 as a store guard. Much like so many of us, he worked his way through the ranks, excelling at every position and continuing to practice and instill his engrained beliefs in every function and team in which he worked.

From Regional Director of Investigations through all of his promotions and all the way up to his current Group Vice President position, Kevin embodied the phrase "Volunteerism" and always searched out opportunities that allowed both himself and his team to learn, grow and increase their impact on the overall business.

Clearly seeing the Omni channeling impact on retail, Kevin's renaming of the function was a critical evolutionary step that broadens his team's impact on Macy's Omni channeling efforts and the overall business strategy. With the emphasis on protecting the brand and increasing profits, the 'Omni' AP team is now involved in the total business and guided by the principals of making the right business decisions for the organization, for the customer and for the people.

Rebranding an effort isn't an easy task and while some may discount its intentions and objectives, Kevin is focused on building and delivering a function and team that's viewed as a model for diversity and inclusion. Opening up the line of communication with the industry, Kevin's already spoken at RILA, sat down with us for this article, co-created the Retail Symposium on Shopping Equity, plans on attending the upcoming NRF Protect conference, and was recently appointed to the NRF Advisory Council. All of this within the first eight months of his being named the new Group Vice President, this certainly is evidence enough that Macy's AP program is an engaged community partner that's driven to make a difference.

Understanding how the industry is changing so rapidly and seeing how Macy's AP program is keeping pace, one sees Kevin's priority on people and team. As he believes that you need to surround yourself with great people and provide them with the opportunity to reach their fullest potential if you expect an organization to be successful long term.

It's a new era for Macy's Asset Protection and they're focused on building a model that adds value to the entire business, to the customers, associates and to the entire industry. Their 'open line of communications' approach is a refreshing example of how an organization can indeed make a difference industry wide. And their new leader, who's firmly grounded by doing what's right and helping the industry, is totally committed to doing just that.

We at the Daily wish him and his team the best of luck