How Did I Get Here?

Victor Luis

Chief Executive Officer, Coach
from
  • Education
  • East Providence Senior High School, East Providence, R.I., class of 1984
  • College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Mass., class of 1988
  • Durham University, Durham, England, class of 1990
  • Work Experience
  • 1991–95
    Head of business development, Portugal Trade
  • 1995–99
    Marketing director, Moët-Hennessy; regional sales director, Jardine Wines & Spirits
  • 1999–2002
    President, CEO, Givenchy Japan
  • 2002–06
    President, CEO of North America, Baccarat
  • 2006–10
    President, Coach Japan, Coach China
  • 2010–13
    President of the international group and chief commercial officer, Coach
  • 2014–Present
    CEO, Coach
  • Life Lessons
  • “Transformation is never done; continuous evolution is critical.”
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  • “The journey and direction are much more important than the destination.”
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  • “Good luck is where hard work and opportunity meet.”
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  • Age 10
    “I was born on the Portuguese island of São Miguel in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. I am one of five. We immigrated to Rhode Island when I was 7. My parents were laborers—my mom in the jewelry industry.”
  • From 1988 to 1989, Luis was a teaching fellow at St. Paul’s School in Concord, N.H. “I taught European history and the Vietnam War.”
  • At a New Year’s celebration with Givenchy Japan’s leadership team, 2000
  • “I was in a new industry: fashion. In alcohol, you’re always dealing with third parties—restaurants, bars—while fashion is a direct relationship with consumers. I had all the typical challenges in managing areas in which you’re not an expert.”
  • “We’ve launched Coach as a broader lifestyle brand, with outerwear, footwear, and other categories, and have recently undertaken runway shows, because it’s the most important platform to present a head-to-toe look.”
  • “It was a master’s in international economics. My dissertation was on Japan-European Economic Community relations.”
  • With the Jardine Wines & Spirits sales team at Drummuir Castle in Scotland, 1998
  • “I was the LVMH employee in Tokyo taking care of the company’s alcohol brands: Hennessy, Moët & Chandon, Dom Pérignon. It was great fun.”
  • “Baccarat was a sleepy 250-year-old crystal brand, and we moved it to a designer brand selling almost art pieces. Philippe Starck designed the flagship store.”
  • “I’d been working my whole career for family-controlled companies. I wanted unlimited room for growth.”
    With model Karlie Kloss at a Coach event, 2013