Harvard Business School, Iconic American fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger and Fred Gehring, former CEO and current Chairman of Tommy Hilfiger, visited the renowned Harvard Business School campus today where they spoke with students about their experiences in building a global retail and lifestyle brand. The appearance included a discussion on the 2014 Harvard Business School case study, “Transforming Tommy Hilfiger,” written by Raffaella Sadun, Assistant Professor of Business Administration and Richard Hodgson Fellow in the Strategy Unit at Harvard Business School.
“It’s a pleasure to be invited to the Harvard Business School to speak with aspiring entrepreneurs and the future leaders of the business industry,” said Tommy Hilfiger. “After 30 years, I feel fortunate to say that I still love what I do today. It continues to be important to me to have these opportunities to share my passion and experiences with the next generation of business and design talent.
“It’s an honor to be invited to the Harvard Business School and share the great experiences I have had over the course of my career,” said Fred Gehring, Chairman, Tommy Hilfiger and Vice Chairman, PVH Corp. “I am privileged to be part of the team that has helped build Tommy Hilfiger into a global lifestyle brand with a one-of-a-kind history. We’ve seen opportunity in every challenge, learned to adapt to an ever-changing business structure, embraced innovation, and remained focused on building a consistent global premium brand image worldwide.”
Hosted by the school’s Retail & Luxury Goods Club and open to all Harvard students, faculty and alumni, the discussion was moderated by Professor Sadun, whose research focuses on the economics of productivity, management and organizational change. Her work documents the economic and cultural determinants of managerial choices, as well as their implications for firm performance.
The panel discussion was hosted at the Spangler Auditorium at the Harvard Business School, one of the world’s most historic and prestigious institutions of higher education.
