Pentland names new Lacoste shoe CEO, Georgiades joins from Coach

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
May 4, 2018

Major UK brand owner and manager Pentland has announced the appointment Gianni Georgiades as CEO of its Lacoste Footwear joint venture. He joins on May 8.

 
He will join the business from Coach where he was vice-president of wholesale partnerships in Europe. And he has a strong CV in footwear and luxury prior to that time with spent at Ugg owner Deckers as managing director EMEA, at luxury department store Harrods as sales & operating director, and at luxury labels DSquared2, Maison Martin Margiela and Ungaro in international sales.
 
Richard Newcombe, president of Pentland’s Footwear Division, said: “Gianni has extensive experience in product strategy and business development across various industry sectors and channels. He has an inclusive approach and will be focused on realising the huge potential for Lacoste in the footwear category, whilst building a great team environment.”

Georgiades described the new Pentland-Lacoste JV as “a transformative chapter in the proud history of one of the world’s leading heritage brands.”
 
It was announced back in January with Pentland and The Lacoste Group entering into a 50:50 JV based at the Pentland HQ in North London. The operation manages the design, production and manufacturing of Lacoste’s footwear globally. Pentland also continues to manage UK distribution, while Lacoste handles distribution in its main territories.