Lacoste Taps Jamie Givens as CEO, North and Central America
Lacoste has tapped Jamie Givens as chief executive officer of North and Central America, effective immediately. He succeeds Robert Aldrich, who has left the company.
Since 2018 Givens has been CEO of Lacoste U.K., where he focused on building the U.K. and Ireland business. Earlier he was the digital director Europe for Levi, Strauss & Co., and held several posts at the brand from 2011 to 2018.
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Succeeding Givens as CEO of Lacoste U.K. and Ireland is Xavier Le Borgne. He began his career at Lacoste in 2015 as leather goods sales director and was most recently vice president, underwear and global sales marketing, leather goods.
In Givens’ new role he will be responsible for the North and Central American business, driving the strategy and vision of the brand across multiple channels with more than 2,500 points of distribution.
Discussing his new position, Givens told WWD, “In my new role, I’ll be leveraging the strengths of our people through regional organization and operations to create big improvements in our go-to market capabilities. Additionally, ensuring our customers, consumers and brand fans see the best of us for them. Every time they shop, clear segmentation strategies in the market with our partners are really the key to this.”
He said that 2023 is a big year for Lacoste, as the brand heads into its 90th anniversary. “We are gearing up for some exciting activations in North America, along with doubling down on our iconic polo and sneaker categories. I’ll also be leading the focus on investing in our retail footprint, as we believe the best omnichannel strategies need bigger, better and more compelling stores.”
Givens will relocate from London to New York this month.
Asked why he wanted to move to New York to take on this new role, he said, “Simply put, take the great opportunities that come to you in life. No regrets! And Sting wrote a song about an Englishman in New York [‘Englishman in New York’]. I am humbled and excited to be here and to have my family with me in this wonderful city.”
Aldrich, who had been in his CEO role since May 2020, previously spent nearly 14 years at Ermenegildo Zegna Group, where he rose to CEO, Americas region. He couldn’t be reached for comment on his plans.
As reported last week, Louise Trotter is leaving her post as creative director of Lacoste after a four-year tenure. She was in charge of the fashion show and general collections. Trotter’s departure comes at a time where Lacoste is rethinking its creative approach, stating that it would take the shape of “a collaborative studio model focused on a collective vision,” as noted.
