Sequential Brands Group Inc., the parent of Avia, And1 and Gaiam, announced that brand executive David Conn has been appointed director and chief executive officer. Most recently, he served as CEO of ThreeSixty Brands, where he played a significant role in acquiring and relaunching the iconic FAO Schwarz and Sharper Image brands.
Conn brings with him over 25 years of experience and vast knowledge in brand management and marketing.
William Sweedler, chairman of the board said, “David Conn is an innovative, strategic, and entrepreneurial executive with an established track record of building and transforming businesses with strong global consumer brands. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge in the retail sector and strong industry relationships, which will be invaluable to Sequential as we embark on this next chapter.”
Sweedler added: “I also want to thank President Chad Wagenheim for his leadership during this transition period and look forward to Chad continuing in his role as he now partners with David to drive the business forward.”
Conn said: “I’m thrilled to join Sequential Brands Group. My career has been focused around building and revitalizing brands and I’m excited about the potential of Sequential’s portfolio. I look forward to leading this company during this period of transformation.”
As CEO of ThreeSixty Brands, Conn leveraged his broad expertise to develop a go-to-market strategy for the FAO Schwarz brand that featured scaled distribution with major retailers and a direct-to-consumer rollout including an experiential, award winning, FAO Schwarz NYC flagship store, and an e-commerce platform. Prior to ThreeSixty Brands, he served as CEO and board member of True Religion, a global lifestyle brand with over 2000 employees and 180 retail stores. While there, he led the development and rollout of an innovative new retail concept and omni-channel platform.
Before joining True Religion, Conn served as president of VF Corporation’s newly formed retail licensed brands division and led VF’s acquisition of premium denim brand Rock & Republic. From 2004 to 2008, he served as executive vice president of Iconix Brand Group, where he joined at the company’s inception and oversaw it during a period of significant growth.
A graduate of Boston University, Conn served in various roles early in his career at BMG Columbia House and Candie’s Inc.
Brands owned by Sequential Brands include Avia, And1, Gaiam, Joe’s, Ellen Tracy, Jessica Simpson, William Rast, Heely’s, Caribbean Joe, DVS, The Franklin Mint, and SPRI.
