New boss for Hugo Boss as fashion house drafts in former Tommy Hilfiger CEO
Hugo Boss has announced that former Tommy Hilfiger chief Daniel Grieder will be its new chief executive.
Grieder, 58, will take up the post in June next year, after a decades-long career at Tommy Hilfiger.
It comes after outgoing CEO Mark Langer announced that he was stepping down in March.
Langer will leave post at the end of September, with chief financial officer Yves Muller stepping into the role in the interim.
Grieder joined Tommy Hilfiger Europe in 1997 as an independent sales agent, and was appointed chief executive of the European business in 2008.
Hermann Waldemer, chairman of Hugo Boss, said Grieder’s “international expertise, charismatic personality and extensive global experience in brand management, product, distribution, marketing, and digitalization” made him ideal for the top job.
“He possesses all the qualities required to steer Hugo Boss back to sales and profit growth, and to increase the desirability of our brands for end-consumers.”
“Hugo Boss is a fantastic organization,” Grieder said.
“I’m arriving at an exciting time and eagerly looking forward to making my contribution to the further evolution of this German fashion icon.
Hugo Boss faced widespread criticism in March for sending cease-and-desist letters to small companies whose names include the word “boss”.
The episode culminated in comedian Joe Lycett changing his name to Hugo Boss by deed poll in protest against the German fashion brand.
“It’s clear that Hugo Boss hates people using their name,” Lycett tweeted.