Tory Burch to have co-CEOs

Tory Burch, an upscale women’s apparel and accessories company, has appointed former Ralph Lauren executive Roger Farah co-CEO, sharing the title with founder and current CEO Tory Burch, who will remain chairperson.



Farah and Burch will also establish an executive directors’ office, a newly formed management group made up of Brigitte Kleine, Robert Isen, Roger Farah and Tory Burch to lead and oversee the management of the company. Kleine will remain president of Tory Burch and will join the board of directors. Farah has also been appointed to the board. Isen will retain his role as a member of the board and continues as president of business development and chief legal officer.



The company is looking to leverage Farah’s previous experience with large international brands as it continues to expand globally.



“We have grown significantly over the last 10 years and Roger is uniquely qualified to help us continue to build and scale the business. He is an exceptional person and one of the great executives in our industry,” said Burch. “This is an exciting moment for the company and Brigitte, Robert and I look forward to working with him.”



Farah spent 14 years at Ralph Lauren as president and chief operations officer. He joined Ralph Lauren from Venator Group in 2000 where he was as chairman and CEO from 1994 to 2000. He previously served as the president and COO of Macy’s and chairman and CEO of Federated Merchandising Services and Rich’s Department Stores.



“The opportunity to join a growing, privately held, values-based company like Tory Burch was very appealing,” said Farah. “I’ve admired Tory for a long time and look forward to partnering with her and her team to execute her long-term vision.”



The company currently has 136 stores worldwide including a recently opened Shanghai flagship and has announced plans to open additional flagships in Milan, Paris and Soho, NY. The company’s recent partnerships include a successful beauty launch with Estée Lauder and upcoming watch launch with Fossil. It has also announced new distribution plans for Indonesia and Malaysia.