by HIGH POINT — Mary Ballard has been promoted to senior director of merchandising at stationary and motion upholstery manufacturer Kuka Home, a new position.
Previously director of merchandising, she has more than 20 years of industry experience, starting with her role as retail designer at Bassett Furniture. Following that position, she became brand manager for the Barbara Barry line at Henredon and from there became director of design at Maitland Smith.
She was also upholstery product manager at Baker Furniture for about three and a half years before becoming a partner in Bellwether Partners in Greensboro and later transitioning into a role as senior category manager for upholstery, textiles and soft goods at full-line furniture and lighting resource Gabby.
She joined Kuka in September 2023 as director of merchandising.
In her new position, she reports to Sergio Barrios, executive vice president, merchandising and product Development. She will handle merchandising and also manage strategic product direction, design forecasts and merchandising management for the company’s product lines. In addition, she will oversee the layout and planning of the company’s showrooms.
