The Gores Group bolstered its Los Angeles office with the addition of Lewis (Lee) Bird III, who will oversee the firm's consumer and retail investment efforts.

Bird brings a lengthy track record in the corporate world, having formerly served as a group president of Nike and as a senior officer at Gap, Inc. At Nike, Bird led the sneaker giant's portfolio of affiliate brands, its M&A efforts and was a member of the company's executive committee. Among the brands under Bird's charge were Bauer Hockey, Cole Haan, Converse, Hurley, Starter and Umbro.

At the Gap, meanwhile, Bird had assumed multiple executive roles, putting in stints as the chief operating officer of the company's flagship Gap brand and as the chief financial officer of its Old Navy business. Bird also had stops at Gateway, Honeywell and Ford Motor Co.

The Gores Group, which recently closed its third fund with $2 billion of capital commitments, has targeted the consumer space before, but for the most part has not been particularly active in the segment. Last August, the firm acquired French fashion label J. Mendel.

At Gores, Bird is expected to work closely with managing director Jeff Schwartz, who leads the firm's M&A group. In addition to portfolio company oversight, Bird will also lead operational due diligence in the consumer and retail segments.