Moose Knuckles’ executive chairman becomes CEO as co-founders take on new roles
A few months after being appointed executive chairman of Montreal-based Moose Knuckles, Victor Luis has taken on the expanded role of CEO of the luxury outerwear brand. The shuffle results in co-founders and former co-CEOs Noah Stern and Ayal Twik becoming the company’s CMO and chief product officer, respectively.
Luis was named executive chairman in June, following a “significant investment” in the company that resulted in his becoming an operating partner, alongside Moose Knuckles’ lead institutional investor, Cathay Capital. A former CEO of Tapestry Inc. (the company that owns Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman), Luis has also served as president and CEO of Coach Japan and in senior roles at Moet-Hennessy Louis Vuitton and Baccarat.
In a statement, Twik said the leadership changes will allow him to focus on “driving culture, brand building and fostering consumer engagement.” And Stern said he will be able to spend more time on product design as Moose Knuckles expands its assortment into other seasons.
Both leaders have retained their board seats and respective ownership stakes in the company.
Over the past five years, Moose Knuckles has recorded year-over-year double-digit growth. Last year alone, it experienced a nearly triple-digit increase in direct-to-consumer sales along with a 12x growth in China, despite the challenges of the pandemic.
As of June, the company operated 11 brick-and-mortar stores, including three in China, and planned to open an additional ten stores by the end of 2022. In last week’s announcement, it said it plans to grow its global physical footprint to 35 stores and pop-ups, in addition to continuing to invest in its ecommerce offering.
Destination B.C. solidifies CEO succession plans
After a year serving in the role, Richard Porges has formally been made president and CEO of B.C.’s provincial tourism association.
Borges was initially named to the helm of Destination B.C. on an interim basis following the appointment of former chief executive Marsha Walden as CEO of its national counterpart, Destination Canada, in Aug 2020.
Walden, who joined Destination B.C. in 2013, served as its first permanent president and CEO.
Borges’ official hiring follows a global search that involved reviewing hundreds of potential candidates, the organization said.
Prior to being acting president and CEO, he was VP of corporate development of Destination B.C, a role that came with leading its corporate communications, research and analytics, human resources, and corporate services departments.