A Chat with Christophe Gaigneux,EVP, Boston Apparel Group,
CS: What would you say was the greatest lesson you learned that year?
CG: I learned I had to trust more people. It drove me to a new step of dedication, too. The constraints of all my responsibilities drove me to the next step of management, to trust more people and involve more people. It caused an evolution in the way I managed both people and projects. It was a lot of work, but my family really supported me throughout that period. If you don't have your family behind you, it can be really difficult.
CS: What are some key points to your success in your career?
CG: I would say especially today that what helped me is that I've been able to evolve in a multicultural environment, especially today, after spending three or four years in the U.S. And it's not just the Europe versus the U.S. cultural shift, which has changed my business perspective a great deal, but it's also retail versus direct business. So now I've got both those experience sets.
I've been told I'm not only strategic but I can be detail-oriented as well. I can see the helicopter view, the big picture, without losing sight of the details.
I'm also a team builder. I really want to put a lot of faith and trust in my staff. I like to empower people. I have a lot of passion for what I do, and I work hard. At the heart of it, though, has been the support of my family.
CS: What goals do you have for the Boston Apparel Group right now?
CG: I want to continue the branding efforts that have been made thus far. We need more uniqueness in the product. I want to move the company's main focus from store to brand. Chadwick's has a very strong name awareness, but I want it to be a more recognized brand.
