Tapestry names new Kate Spade, Stuart Weitzman CEOs among other exec appointments

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Feb 7, 2020

Tapestry, Inc., parent company of Kate Spade, Coach and Stuart Weitzman, has made several new appointments to its senior management team, including a long awaited new CEO and brand president of Kate Spade, a new CEO and brand president of Stuart Weitzman, and a new president of Tapestry Asia Pacific.

Liz Fraser has been named the new CEO and brand president of Kate Spade, a brand that has been without a permanent CEO and brand president since the exit of Anna Bakst in December 2019. She is expected to join the company on March 1, 2020, the company said, and will take over from Joanne Crevoiserat, Tapestry’s chief financial officer, who has been leading the brand in an interim capacity. 

In this role, Fraser will be responsible for all aspects of Kate Spade globally, working alongside creative director Nicola Glass and its leadership team. 

Fraser has served as the president of Lafayette 148, a New York-based, vertically integrated, women’s fashion brand, since 2018. There, she was responsible for global sales and marketing, as well as design and merchandising, for apparel and accessories. Prior to Lafayette, she served as CEO of Anne Klein from 2015 through 2018; president of Marc Jacobs from 2012 through 2015; and vice president of sourcing and manufacturing of Esprit de Corp from 1996 through 1999, among other roles. 

Giorgio Sarné, the current president, Tapestry Asia and president and CEO of Coach Asia, will be promoted to CEO and brand president of Stuart Weitzman. In the role, Sarné will be responsible for all aspects of Stuart Weitzman globally, working closely with the brand’s head of product design, Edmundo Castillo.

Sarné has been with Tapestry since November 2013, and has previously served as president of Coach International and North America wholesale. Prior to joining Tapestry, Sarné has held roles as general manager Tag Heuer International at Tag Heuer SA and as a marketing manager at Veuve Clicquot. 

He will succeed Eraldo Poletto, who has decided to leave the company effective March 1, 2020. Emmanuel Ruelland, current vice president, general manager, Tapestry Southeast Asia & Oceania, will succeed Sarné as president of Coach Asia, and will report to Joshua Schulman, CEO and brand president of Coach.

Tapestry further announced that Yann Bozec, current president, Tapestry China and president and CEO of Coach China, will be promoted to the role of president, Tapestry Asia Pacific. He will continue to serve as president and CEO of Coach China. Bozec joined Coach Japan in 2008 and has been instrumental in the brand’s development and growth in the region, the company said, notably its success in China. More recently, he has overseen the integration of Kate Spade’s and Stuart Weitzman’s China operations onto the Tapestry platform.

Bozec has held multiple leadership roles throughout his time with Tapestry, including Coach's senior vice president and COO Asia, senior vice president and general manager, Coach Asia and president and CEO Coach China. Prior to Tapestry, he has served as vice president administration and operations Asia and vice president administration and operations Russia for L’Oréal.

“With [Fraser's] career in fashion spanning over three decades and the deep experience in brand building at Coach and Tapestry that both [Sarné and Bozec] bring to their new roles, we believe we are well positioned to drive sustained sales and margin growth and shareholder returns," said Jide Zeitlin, CEO of Tapestry. 

Fraser, Sarné and Bozec will all join Tapestry’s executive committee. Tapestry said these appointments will strengthen its ability to drive sustained long-term growth at each of its three brands.