Robert C. Siegel

Robert C. Siegel, recently retired Chairman and CEO of Lacoste USA, brings over 40 years of experience to the Wholesale/Retail Apparel and Footwear industry.  Having assumed the leadership of Lacoste in January 2002, his efforts to relaunch and rebrand Lacoste in the American marketplace resulted in a tenfold increase in sales and the expansion of company owned retail stores from 11 to 87.   After leaving Lacoste, Siegel returned to his retail and apparel consulting practice.

Prior to his tenure at Lacoste, Siegel was a Managing Director of Branded Products at Kurt Salmon Associates (KSA).  Here he facilitated the acquisition of North Face by the VF Corporation.  His other clients included Devanlay, the global apparel licensee of Lacoste, who subsequently hired him to turn around their lack luster U.S. wholesale and retail business.

From 1993 to 1998, Siegel served as Chairman, President and CEO of the Stride Rite Corporation, whose brands included Stride Rite children's shoes, Sperry Topsider, and the venerable Keds lines for men, women and children.  His innovative approach to the footwear industry included signing Tommy Hilfiger to design an upscale line of footwear for men, women and children, as well as the introduction of seasonal Keds offering by such well known and respected fashion designers as Cynthia Rowley.  In addition, he redirected the positioning of all three brands while expanding the Stride Rite children's retail base by over 50 additional and profitable locations.

Siegel began his career in apparel/retailing in 1964 when he signed on with the San Francisco based Levi Strauss & Co. His expertise and expansive knowledge of the upper tier fashion market was widely recognized throughout the company.  In 1984 he was tapped to lead Levi's first foray into fashion and became President of Perry Ellis America, a licensing venture between Levi's and the designer Perry Ellis.  This position soon led to him assuming the presidency of all designer brands which included not only Perry Ellis America, but also Alexander Julian womenswear and Andrew Fezza men's and women's casual collections.

In 1986, he returned to the San Francisco office where he took on the presidency of Levi's Menswear Division.  In one short year he developed and launched the Dockers brand which achieved $1 billion in sales in 5 years.

Current Board Affiliations
Hampshire Group (current)
Urban Electric Company (current)

Former Board Associations
Oshkosh (1999 - 2005)
Bon Ton Stores (1999 -2005)
McNaughton Apparel Group (1996 - 2001)
Skechers Footwear (1999 - 2001)
Kellwood (2007 - 2009)