Tapestry strengthens board of directors

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
Apr 15, 2020

Tapestry Inc. announced on Tuesday the appointment of John P. Bilbrey to its board of directors.

“We are extremely pleased that John has agreed to join our board. He brings to our board deep consumer and operational experience along with broad global experience, having spent substantial time in Asia and the Middle East,” said Jide Zeitlin, chairman and CEO of Tapestry, in a news statement. 

“John’s passion for the application of data analytics to understanding the consumer and influencing the supply chain will be invaluable assets to Tapestry.”

The appointment brings the group’s board membership to eight.

Most recently, Bilbrey served as president and CEO of The Hershey Company, from 2011 until his retirement in March 2017. He also served as chairman of Hershey from 2015 until March 2017, and as non-executive chairman from March 2017 to May the following year.

He first joined the management team of Hershey as senior vice president, president Hershey International in 2003. He later served as senior vice president, president Hershey North America from 2007 to 2010 and as executive vice president and chief operating officer from 2010 to 2011. 

Prior to joining Hershey, he spent 22 years at The Procter & Gamble Company.

Tapestry, the parent company of Kate Spade, Stuart Weitzman and Coach, is expected to announced its third-quarter fiscal 2020 results, during a conference call scheduled for April 30, 2020.

Amid the Covid-19 crisis, Tapestry-owned stores across North America and Europe have been closed through April 24. Still, the company’s stores in China have re-opened, as well as most of the company’s global distribution centers, which continue to operate, with only one in Malaysia and a third-party facility in New Jersey temporarily closed.

Tapestry is also one of many members of the retail industry contributing to aid efforts during the pandemic including with a $2 million donation to support small businesses in New York City, the home of all of its brands.