HONG KONG, CHINA. Ed Brennan is to make a surprise return as Interim Chairman and CEO of the LVMH and Robert Miller-owned DFS Group.
The DFS Group Board of Directors has elected Brennan to serve in the role, effective 1 November, succeeding Benjamin Vuchot who is leaving DFS to pursue other professional interests.
Vuchot led DFS with much distinction throughout the most challenging period in the travel retailer’s lustrous history, the global pandemic, and has since played a key role in the company’s acclaimed programmes of retail innovation, retailtainment and development of the DFS Circle membership platform. He has also driven the extraordinarily ambitious Yalong Bay project in Hainan province.
Vuchot, who had previously been President of Sephora Asia, assumed the DFS leadership role in January 2021. He replaced the highly experienced Brennan, who had led DFS for a second (three-year) spell after also serving as Chairman and CEO of DFS for 13 years from 1999 to 2012.
In an internal announcement provided to The Moodie Davitt Report from a reliable source outside the company, DFS Group Senior Non-executive Board Director Toni Belloni said: “We thank Benjamin for his strong leadership of DFS through the very challenging COVID pandemic times to emerge as a leaner, more efficient and more focused organisation.
“Importantly, Benjamin also led the development of the Hainan Yalong Bay project, which will become a major pillar of DFS’ future growth.
“Ed Brennan is the perfect leader to step in and lead the continued reinvention of DFS. He has over 25 years’ experience at DFS, and has twice before been Chairman and CEO with an outstanding track record.
“Over the past four years, Ed has been a non-executive Director of DFS and fully involved in the strategic developments of the business,” Belloni concluded.
Robert Miller, a Co-founder of DFS (and still 38.75% shareholder) commented: “We are incredibly pleased Ed has decided to return to the Chairman and CEO role of DFS.
“Ed and his talented teams operated DFS through some of the most challenging and prosperous periods in our history by reinventing our business model, diversifying our offering and expanding our footprint.
“Ed is a strategic thinker who also likes to get into the details of each business. We will benefit greatly by Ed’s leadership in the period ahead.” ✈
