Coach appoints two new executives for NA and Europe; Tapestry adds to board

By

Cassidy Mantor

Published
Dec 8, 2017

Tapestry Inc.'s accessible luxury brand Coach is reinforcing its international business units with two experienced new recuits.

Former Givenchy exec Laura Dubin-Wander has been named the new president for North America, while Fredrik Malm will join as president for Coach Europe and Coach International, arriving from Ralph Lauren. Both will report directly to Coach CEO Joshua Schulman. 

As president for North America, Dubin-Wander will be tasked with driving North American growth of directly-operated and retail channels.

Dubin-Wander brings highly specialized knowledge of product development and merchandising to the role. Most recently employed as president for Givenchy, she previously spent five years at the LVMH group, notably as Vice President of Christian Dior Couture. She has a wide-ranging knowledge of mass retail and luxury, with time spent at brands including American Eagle, Kate Spade & Co. and The Limited.

“Laura is a results-oriented brand leader who brings with her deep retail experience across multiple categories and avenues of distribution,” Schulman said. “Her combined passion for business and fashion is the foundation of her successful career. She has a consumer-centric approach to managing brands and a proven track record of leading teams to deliver profitable growth.”    

Accompanying Dubin-Wander and the growth of the brand's retail and wholesale channels in North America, Malm will head the divisions in Europe, and will oversee the global franchise, distributor and travel retail businesses. The Swedish exec comes Ralph Lauren EMEA, where he has served since 2011, most recently as as President of Sales.  Prior to this, Malm was Retail Director for Europe and the Middle East at Ecco. He also served as CEO of Intersport.

“Fredrik’s extensive international experience and leadership capabilities make him a natural fit for the role,” said Mr. Schulman. “He brings invaluable insights which are vital in driving rapid growth in the European market.”

The Coach brand is housed by holding entity Tapestry Inc, formerly Coach Inc. The company changed its name earlier this year to better reflect its strategy of transformation into an upscale fashion house, stemming its wholesale operations and cutting back on discounting.

Tapestry Inc also announced the appointment of two new members to its board of directors on Thursday; Doreen Toben and Anne Gates.

Victor Luis, Chief Executive Officer of Tapestry, Inc., said, “We are extremely pleased that Doreen Toben and Anne Gates have agreed to join our Board. As Tapestry continues to evolve as a house of brands, we are confident that their respective business experience, strategic insight and leadership skills will prove particularly valuable to us.”