Joshua Schulman has become president of Bergdorf Goodman. The former head of Jimmy Choo and the Gucci Group admits he is delighted at his new job because he has "always" appreciated the work of the world famous New York department store and its parent company Neiman Marcus.

"I've been a vendor of Bergdorf Goodman and a vendor of the Neiman Marcus Group in my career over the last 20 years. I've always had an enormous appreciation for the culture of Bergdorf Goodman and the Neiman Marcus Group and for their focus on excellence in luxury retail," he told WWD.

Jim Gold, president of speciality retail for the Neiman Marcus Group, added his two decades of experience would bring a new wave of "knowledge" into the sector: "Josh has been around the luxury business for 20 years and although he has been on the wholesale side, he has worked with department stores his whole career and gained an intimate knowledge of what it takes for a large store to work."

Bergdorf currently generates $600 million a year, and Joshua, 40, admits his job will be "very different" to his role at shoe chain Jimmy Choo.

"I would say they are very different roles. As CEO of Jimmy Choo, the business went from 55 stores in 2007 in 15 countries to 140 stores in 32 countries by the end of 2011. We diversified the brand by adding new categories like fragrance, men's shoes and eyewear. I was involved in product development, managing the design process, managing the retail and wholesale businesses and being ultimately responsible for the financial side of the business. There was a very international scope. It was a very different role than being president of Bergdorf Goodman, but I would argue that there is a similar degree of complexity," he added.