Coach has announced that Thibault Villet will join the company as President, Greater China, in August 2007, establishing an on-the-ground presence for Coach in the region.
Mr. Villet will be based in Hong Kong and partner with Imaginex and Tasa Meng, Coach's regional distributors, in developing, implementing and executing the company's Greater China strategy, focused on rapidly growing distribution and raising brand awareness in this emerging market for luxury accessories.
He will have responsibility for the strategic leadership and operating results of Coach Greater China, including the mainland of China, Hong Kong/Macau and Taiwan, reporting directly to Ian Bickley, President, Coach International.
Mr. Villet joins Coach from L'Oreal, where he most recently held the position of Vice President, Luxury Products Division in Japan. During his 13 years with L'Oreal, he held progressively more senior roles, including four years from 2002-2006 as Vice President and General Manager of the Luxury Products Division for China, based in Shanghai.
During this period, he successfully re-branded the Lancôme image in China by building market awareness and changing consumer perceptions. He established strong relationships with department stores and with the media.
In addition, Mr. Villet launched both a customer relationship management (CRM) program and the Lancôme magazine to strengthen customer loyalty. Under his leadership, Lancôme rose to become the number one luxury cosmetics brand in China. Prior to managing L'Oreal's business in China, Mr. Villet held senior roles in Travel Retail for the company in Hong Kong and in Europe.
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