Dani Reiss (born November 7, 1973) is a Canadian entrepreneur, best known for his role as president & CEO of Canadian performance luxury apparel company, Canada Goose Inc.
Video Dani Reiss
Background and Early Life
Reiss is the son of Malca (née Tick) and David Reiss. His maternal grandfather was Samuel Tick (originally Szmuel Tyk), a Polish Jewish immigrant who worked as a fabric cutter for other brands before founding Metro Sportswear Limited (the precursor to Canada Goose) in 1957. His father came into the business after marrying Samuel's daughter in the 1970s, rebranded the company as "Snow Goose", and, after developing a unique down filling machine, refocused the business on the supply of down coats to Ontario police officers and municipal employees. His father served as its CEO from 1982 to 2000.
After earning his Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and philosophy from University of Toronto in 1996, Reiss decided to join the family business (then known as Snow Goose) for a few months to make some money to travel. He dreamed of being a writer, and had no intention of staying in the business. However, after attending a tradeshow in Germany where he tested out the Canada Goose brand (in Europe, products were branded as Canada Goose because Snow Goose was already a registered name), his passion for the business was ignited by the realization that Canada Goose was a real brand with real meaning to consumers.
Reiss spent his time learning the business by working in every area of the company's factory and travelling with the company's sales managers on visits to apparel buyers in Europe. Reiss came to recognize that European customers associated the product with idealized images of Canadian wilderness, which would eventually encourage him to change the company's name from Snow Goose to Canada Goose.
Maps Dani Reiss
Canada Goose / Made in Canada
In 2001, at the age of 27, Reiss became president and CEO of Canada Goose. Reiss ignited the company with two key decisions - to produce only under the name Canada Goose and to remain "Made in Canada", when a number of others in the North American apparel industry moved their manufacturing to Asia to increase profit margins. The result was a significant loss to the Canadian apparel-manufacturing infrastructure. To continue manufacturing product in Canada, Reiss had to invest his own capital into the Canada Goose factory.
Under Reiss's leadership, Canada Goose has become known as a "Made in Canada" champion. He believes that an authentic "Made in Canada" product could be sustainable if the company adhered to a best-quality philosophy and a strict distribution model that always ensured greater demand than supply. In Reiss's opinion, to remain an authentic brand, Canada Goose parkas had to be manufactured in Canada.
Over the past decade, Canada Goose has enjoyed tremendous success under Reiss's leadership, posting more than 2,000% growth. In 2014, the company opened a regional sales office and showroom in New York City. In 2016, Canada Goose entered the retail market and opened flagship stores in Toronto and New York City, and has since opened stores in Boston, Chicago, Calgary and London, England. In June 2018, Canada Goose announced plans to open will have stores located in Montreal, Vancouver and New Jersey. In the summer of 2018, the Toronto-based company announced its expansion into China with plans to open stores in Beijing and Hong Kong, and a regional office in Shanghai.
On March 16, 2017, Canada Goose opened on the NYSE and TSX as a publicly-traded company under the ticker symbol GOOS.
Canada Goose is currently sold in 38 countries worldwide.
Philanthropy
Dani Reiss, a current Polar Bears International (PBI) board member, has worked with the organization for over a decade, served as chairman of the board from 2008 - 2017, and donated $1 million towards the construction of PBI's new Churchill facility in February of 2018. PBI is a non-profit organization committed to polar bear conservation, climate change, research and securing a future for polar bears across the arctic. Canada Goose created a PBI collection that includes parkas, lightweight down jackets and accessories for adults and kids. Canada Goose donates $25 of each sale of a PBI jacket, which provides critical funding for polar bears, environmental research and advocacy.
Reiss and his team established the Canada Goose Resource Centre Program along with partners First Air and the North West Company. The Resource Centre Program gives traditional Inuit sewers access to high-quality fabrics, buttons, zippers and other materials free of charge for use in hand-made jackets and clothing for members of these cold-climate communities. The Resource Centre Program is held in community centres within northern cities and towns, and as of 2009, the Resource Centre Program has been held in eight locations which include Pond Inlet, Cape Dorset, Kuujjuaq, Rankin Inlet, Pangnirtung and Iqaluit. This event allows Inuit sewers to continue in their traditional ways of sewing for their community with materials and fabrics they typically would not have access to or could not afford.
Industry Involvement/ Entrepreneurship
Reiss sits on the Board of Directors of Mount Sinai Hospital Foundation and is a member of the Young Presidents' Organization (YPO).
Reiss is a regular speaker on the topic of success, "Made in Canada" and authentic brand building, and is often quoted by press on the challenges of domestic manufacturing and global expansion. He has recently addressed the Canadian Club of Ottawa, Economic Club of Canada, lectured at the Schulich Business School's International MBA Program, The Richard Ivey School of Business and Queen's School of Business. Reiss has also spoken to students at TedX Youth Toronto, and delivered the keynote address at the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation conference.
Awards and Achievements
Reiss has been awarded for his entrepreneurial success numerous times.
In 2008, he was the recipient of Canada's Top 40 Under 40.
In November 2011, Reiss was awarded the Ernst & Young National Entrepreneur of the Year Award. In its 18th year in Canada, the Ernst & Young award winner was selected based on several factors including vision, leadership, financial performance and social responsibility. As the Canadian champion, Reiss was admitted into the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Hall of Fame, along with 50 fellow country winners from around the globe at a ceremony in Monaco in June 2012.
Reiss was also presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal by Minister Joe Oliver in May 2012, and in 2013, the Canadian Marketing Association named Reiss marketer of the year.
In 2016, he was named a Member of the Order of Canada for "building an iconic brand that is a model of entrepreneurial success and for his commitment to the preservation of Canada's North, notably as chair of Polar Bears International."
In April 2018, Canada Goose received the first Outerwear Brand of the Year Award from the Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards.
References
Source of article : Wikipedia
0 Comments