Coach CEO Schulman to leave, Tapestry's Zeitlin remains in top spot

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Mar 10, 2020

Tapestry Inc., parent company of Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman, has announced the departure of Joshua Schulman, chief executive officer and brand president of Coach, while Jide Zeitlin, Tapestry chairman and CEO, has committed to continue leading the brand for the next three years.

Schulman was originally appointed to his position with Coach, then a newly created role, in April 2017. At the time of his appointment, Coach announced that Andre Cohen, former president for North America and global marketing for the Coach brand, would be leaving the brand. 

Prior to his time with the Coach brand, Schulman held several leadership roles within Neiman Marcus Group, including president, Bergdorf Goodman and NMG International and president, Bergdorf Goodman. Prior to Neiman Marcus, he served as CEO of Jimmy Choo from 2007 to 2012; managing director, international strategic alliances & SVP, Japan merchandising with Gap Inc.; executive vice president, worldwide merchandising and sales for Yves Saint Laurent; worldwide director, women's ready-to-wear for Gucci; and senior account executive of Marc Jacobs for Perry Ellis. 

Schulman will depart the organization after a transition period, Tapestry said. During the search for his successor, Zeitlin will have direct oversight of Coach's strategy and operations, working closely with the brand's senior leadership team, the company said. 

"Since becoming CEO, I have had the opportunity to immerse myself in the company, including leading an in-depth review of the brands and businesses,” said Zeitlin, who was appointed as Tapestry's CEO in September 2019.

“The review revealed attractive growth opportunities for Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman, which we will unlock by further leveraging each brand’s differentiated positioning and strong consumer connections, powered by a modern, agile Tapestry platform."

"Over the next several years, I will continue to work with our world-class teams to sharpen our focus on execution while driving our evolution to being a truly consumer-centric and data-driven organization, which will ensure we deliver on the full potential of our entire portfolio and enhance returns for all stakeholders," Zeitlin continued.

"Looking forward, I am excited to partner with the seasoned and talented management team at Coach...to continue to build on the power of the Coach brand to delight our customers by delivering exceptional products and services.”