Apple has confirmed this morning that they have hired former Yves St Laurent CEO Paul Deneve to work on special projects of which he will be reporting directly to Apple CEO Time Cook. Prior to working for the luxury retail house, Deneve worked as CEO for other fashion labels Nina Ricci and Lanvin. It has yet to be announced what his specific role and duties with the company will be.
Though pulling an outsider from the fashion industry might raise a few techie eyebrows, Deneve is no stranger to the Cupertino-based electronics conglomerate. He worked for Apple from 1990-1997 in sales and marketing roles for the company’s European arm. After heading multiple fashion labels, Apple will likely translate his experience from that industry to its own retail outlets as Deneve has proven he can sell high-priced, high-end merchandise with great success.
Of the hire, Apple released an official statement saying “We’re thrilled to welcome Paul Deneve to Apple. He’ll be working on special projects as a vice president reporting directly to Tim Cook.”
Though his position has been labeled tentatively as “special projects reporting directly to Tim Cook,” many pundits are pegging him for the vacated chief of retail position, a void left by John Browett back in October of 2012. Browett was ousted from Apple, along with former Sr. VP of iOS Scott Forstall, amid speculation that he authorized a substantial set of staff cutbacks in order to bolster profitability in favor of customer service.
Bloomberg notes that Apple traditionally hires from within, promoting staff members through the ranks instead of opting for an outsider. Tim Cook could be initiating a new trend for Apple hiring practices as he’s reportedly also trying to sway Hulu LLC executive Pete Distad to Cupertino to help iron out negotiations in which Apple is seeking video content for Apple TV.
It’ll be interesting to see how Tim Cook plans on using Deneve and his skill set. Forbes seems to think that Deneve is the perfect personnel puzzle piece to head production, sales, and marketing of the iWatch, a gadget that Apple has yet to announce formally but has been awarded patents for. If anyone could push an Apple product that fuses fashion with technology, it would be Deneve.
Stay tuned to BostInno for the latest information regarding Deneve and his new position and we’ll be sure to keep you updated as Apple continues to make more information available.
Image via A Day Magazine
