Designer Brands Inc. Expands Board of Directors with Two New Members

Rich Paul. PRNewsFoto.
Rich Paul. PRNewsFoto.

Designer Brands Inc. Expands Board of Directors with Two New Members

COLUMBUS, Ohio, PRNewswire -- Designer Brands Inc. (NYSE: DBI) (the “Company” and “Designer Brands”), one of the world’s largest designers, producers and retailers of the most recognizable footwear
and accessories, announced two new appointments to its Board of Directors.

On Nov. 17, Rich Paul and Tami J. Fersko were appointed to the Designer Brands Board of Directors as independent directors, effective immediately. Ms. Fersko was also named a member of
both the Audit Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Following these appointments, the Board now has eleven members, eight of whom are independent.

“As Designer Brands continues the next phase of its growth, I am thrilled to have Rich and Tami join our Board,” said Jay Schottenstein,
Chairman of the Board. “Both bring extensive brand-building expertise and knowledge of the footwear industry to the table, competencies that will help us on our path to doubling sales of our Owned Brands.
Rich’s place at the epicenter of culture as well as his vast knowledge of the sports industry will complement our athletic and athleisure
strategy, while helping to continue attracting new and different consumers to Designer Brands. Additionally, Tami’s broad background
in supply chain and operations will reinforce our efforts to be nimble and agile as we seek to consistently provide the best brands in footwear.”

“I am excited that Designer Brands is adding Rich and Tami’s expertise to our Board,” said Roger Rawlins, Chief Executive
Officer of Designer Brands. “They bring a wealth of experience in areas directly applicable to our brand building journey and I look
forward to working with them as we move this vision forward.”

Rich Paul is the CEO and founder of KLUTCH Sports Group, the powerhouse agency representing some of the biggest athletes across major professional sports. Paul founded KLUTCH Sports in
2012 in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, where he forged a
unique and personal approach to representing top NBA talent –
putting athletes first and empowering them to build careers
and brands on and of f the court. Paul also serves as United Talent
Agency’s (UTA’s) Head of Sports and is an agency partner , and was appointed to UTA’s Board of Directors in 2020.

In 2019, Paul was named GQ’s “PowerBroker of the
Year” and “The King Maker” on the cover of Sports Illustrated. In 2021, TIME recognized KLUTCH Sports on its first-ever list of
TIME100 Most Influential Companies, and Variety recently named Paul to their “Variety500” list of the most influential business
leaders shaping the global media industry . Paul is also credited with driving the reversal of the so-called “Rich Paul Rule,” which
would have banned agents without a college degree from representing NCAA student athletes.

In 2021, Paul and three former Nike executives formed a company called ADOPT, a creative agency focused on sport, wellness,
nutrition, tech and other consumer facing products. Paul joined the Board of Trustees of LACMA and the Board of Directors of Funko
in 2022. Paul is also a minority partner of The SpringHill Company.

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