John Hardy, an artisan, hand-crafted jewelry brand, today announced that it has named Frédéric Levy as Chief Executive Officer. Levy succeeds Kareem Gahed, who has served as CEO since 2019.
Levy is a distinguished luxury goods and retail executive with more than 20 years of global leadership experience building robust e-commerce businesses and developing digital and marketing strategies to drive accelerated growth. He most recently served as President of the international business unit of Alpagartas Group, where he managed the Havaianas brand globally outside of Brazil, including creating a new e-commerce platform and digital strategy to drive sales growth. From 2015 to 2020, Levy served as President and CEO at Coravin, where he accelerated the wine technology brand’s growth in the U.S. and Europe and rapidly expanded the business into new global markets. Prior to Coravin, Levy served as President of Nespresso USA for nine years, where he was responsible for defining the brand and retail strategy for the U.S. market, developing strong brand equity and growing the business by double digits each year.
“Throughout his career, Fred has demonstrated a remarkable talent for understanding how to drive market penetration for a variety of unique global brands,” said J. Michael Chu, Global Co-CEO of L Catterton and Chairman of the John Hardy Board of Directors. “L Catterton believes there is significant opportunity for the John Hardy brand globally, and we are confident that Fred is the right leader to guide the company through its next phase of growth while staying true to the distinctive heritage that sets the company apart. We also want to thank Kareem for his countless contributions steering John Hardy during his tenure as CEO. We wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
Gahed commented, “I am pleased to be handing the reins to someone as talented and capable as Fred. With his marketing and digital expertise, Fred brings the right set of skills to lead John Hardy through the next chapter in the company’s history, and I look forward to watching the brand’s continued growth and success. I want to thank our incredible team for their inspiring and unwavering commitment to our unique mission, vision and values, which has made these past six years at the company so special.”
“I am honored to be taking on the CEO role to drive the exciting vision for the brand forward,” said Levy. “John Hardy has a unique and authentic artistic foundation, and I am thrilled to be working with our Creative Chairman, Reed Krakoff, and the rest of our gifted team to take advantage of the significant opportunities ahead. Together we will find creative ways to grow the John Hardy brand globally while staying true to our brand values.”
About John Hardy
Our jewelry is shaped by the rituals of Bali, the rituals of our craftsmanship, and the rituals of those who wear us. We weave together age-old knowledge and a pioneering vision to honor our interlinked pasts, presents and futures.
