US' Chilewich appoints John McPhee as chief executive officer

McPhee joins Chilewich from contemporary footwear company Sam Edelman, where he served as President from February 2020 and successfully steered the $200 million business through unprecedented times. He previously spent a decade as president of Design Within Reach, the modernist furniture retailer he transformed and sold to Herman Miller in partnership with John Edelman, who is also a member of the Chilewich board of directors. Long-time business partners, McPhee and Edelman have built their careers around impactful execution, propelling Design Within Reach to new heights and linking it with a global design powerhouse, the company said in a media statement.

“John McPhee is the best executive to lead Chilewich into its next chapter while remaining true to what we stand for—original design. He is an outstanding leader with broad retail and trade experience, deep knowledge of our industry, and an extraordinary history of managing and growing design-driven brands,” founder and creative director, Sandy Chilewich, said in a statement.

“I’ve admired the creativity and ingenuity of Chilewich for a long time, and there couldn’t be a better company for me to join. Chilewich is what I like to call ‘a start-up with scale,’ where I can bring my entrepreneurial expertise in e-commerce, branding, retail, real estate, and team building to lead this great organisation to worldwide success. I’m excited to be re-joining forces with John, Sandy, and Joe to grow this iconic company into a worldwide success. There is tremendous opportunity for this brand, and I’m excited to be working with this talented team and taking the organisation to the next level,” McPhee, said.

“We are thrilled to welcome McPhee into the chief executive role. He comes aboard at an ideal time to build upon the momentum we’ve built across all parts of our business, from our strong presence at retail and wholesale to our thriving contract, hospitality, and transportation divisions. There are even greater opportunities ahead of us, and we’re confident in John’s ability to unlock them,” Joe Sultan, who served as CEO since joining the company in 2001, said.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (GK)