{{short description|Canadian businessperson (born 1963)}} {{Infobox person | name = Daniel Lalonde<!-- include middle initial, if not specified in birth_name --> | native_name = | native_name_lang = | pronunciation = | birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1963}}<ref name="THESTAR"/> | birth_place = Cornwall, Ontario, Canada | monuments = | education = | alma_mater = University of Waterloo, INSEAD Business School | occupation = Business executive | years_active = 1990s-present | era = | employer = Design Holding (CEO)<ref name="DesignHolding"/> | organization = | boards = INSEAD | awards = | website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} --> }}
'''Daniel Lalonde''' (born 1963)<ref name="THESTAR"/> is a Canadian businessperson<ref name="MONTECRISTO">[http://montecristomagazine.com/magazine/autumn-2010/daniel-lalonde-louis-vuitton-and-the-world-of-luxury-brands"Daniel Lalonde, Louis Vuitton, and the World of Luxury Brands"], Jim Tobler, ''Montecristo Magazine,'' September 19, 2010</ref> known for heading brands such as Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren, SMCP Group, Nespresso<ref name="CORNWALL"/> and Moët & Chandon. After starting his management career with companies such as Häagen-Dazs and Nespresso,<ref name="THESUN"/> he spent ten years at LVMH as president and CEO of LVMH Watches & Jewelry North America, Louis Vuitton in North America, and Moët & Chandon globally.<ref name="INSEAD"/><ref name="CORNWALL"/><ref name="WWDceo"/> After eight years as CEO of SMCP Group, he was named CEO of Design Holding.<ref name="DesignHolding"/>
==Early life and education== Daniel Lalonde was born in 1963<ref name="THESTAR">[https://www.thestar.com/life/2008/10/09/taste_for_luxury_is_a_job_requirement.html "Taste for luxury is a job requirement - There is no secret formula for how Daniel Lalonde rose to become president and CEO of Louis Vuitton North America"], Bernadette Morra, ''The Toronto Star'', October 9, 2008</ref> in Cornwall, Ontario.<ref name="THESUN">[http://www.nysun.com/business/daniel-lalonde-works-his-marketing-magic-for-lvmh/13880/ "Daniel Lalonde Works His Marketing Magic for LVMH"], Pranay Gupte, ''The New York Sun'', May 16, 2005</ref> Lalonde's mother worked as a nurse, while his father was a teacher.<ref name="THESTAR"/> Fluent in both English and French,<ref name="LIVEMINT"/> Lalonde spent his youth in Cornwall<ref name="THESUN"/><ref name="CORNWALL"/> and attended École secondaire catholique La Citadelle<ref name="CORNWALL"/> with aspirations to become a professional hockey player.<ref name="THESUN"/> He studied mathematics at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario,<ref name="CORNWALL">[http://www.standard-freeholder.com/2017/10/26/fashion-brand-ceo-born-and-raised-in-cornwall "Fashion-brand CEO born and raised in Cornwall"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317232442/http://www.standard-freeholder.com/2017/10/26/fashion-brand-ceo-born-and-raised-in-cornwall |date=2018-03-17 }}, Alan S. Hale, ''Cornwall Standard-Freeholder'', October 26, 2017</ref><ref name="THESUN"/> earning a Bachelor of Mathematics and graduating with honors.<ref name="INSEAD"/> After working in Toronto for a consulting firm,<ref name="CORNWALL"/> he moved<ref name="MONTECRISTO"/> to France to study business administration at the INSEAD Business School.<ref name="CORNWALL"/> He graduated with a Master of Business Administration<ref name="THESUN"/> in 1991.<ref name="INSEAD">[https://www.insead.edu/about/leadership/daniel-lalonde "Daniel Lalonde, MBA'91J"], INSEAD</ref>
==Career== ===Early consulting=== Lalonde remained in Paris after graduating from INSEAD, initially working at a management consultancy firm<ref name="CORNWALL"/><ref name="THESUN"/> and at Rothschilds.<ref name="THESUN"/> He "made a name for himself"<ref name="MONTECRISTO"/> as managing director of Häagen-Dazs Europe's retail-store division, where he quickly "developed a network of 130 stores in 12 countries, tripling the business." In the mid-1990s,<ref name="THESUN"/> helped launch Nestle's Nespresso brand in North America,<ref name="CORNWALL"/> serving as Nespresso North America's president and CEO.<ref name="INSEAD"/><ref name="BLOOMBERG">[https://www.bloomberg.com/profiles/people/15118880-daniel-lalonde "Daniel Lalonde"], ''Bloomberg News''</ref> He also spent five years<ref name="THESUN"/> as Nespresso's global chief operating officer (COO)<ref name="CORNWALL"/><ref name="INSEAD"/> while based in Switzerland. According to ''The New York Sun,'' Lalonde is credited with "[raising] annual sales from $25 million in five countries to $360 million in 30 countries," with Nespresso reaching "the no. 1 position in global sales for four straight years" during his tenure.<ref name="THESUN"/>
===LVMH=== In 2002, he was hired by LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy)<ref name="CORNWALL"/><ref name="THESUN"/><ref name="BLOOMBERG"/> as president and CEO of LVMH Watches & Jewelry<ref name="MONTECRISTO"/> in North America,<ref name="CORNWALL"/><ref name="INSEAD"/><ref name="THESUN"/> overseeing brands such as Christian Dior, Chaumet, Zenith, OMAS, and De Beers LV.<ref name="THESUN"/> His first major task at LVMH was to improve lagging sales for the TAG Heuer watch brand;<ref name="MONTECRISTO"/> Lalonde focused on "superaffluent" markets,<ref name="THESUN"/> such as the golf community in North America,<ref name="MONTECRISTO"/> and redesigned the company's customer service<ref name="THESUN"/> and retail strategies.<ref name="MONTECRISTO"/><ref name="THESUN"/> He also recruited celebrities, such as Tiger Woods, Uma Thurman,<ref name="CORNWALL"/><ref name="THESUN"/> Maria Sharapova, and Brad Pitt to take part in watch campaigns photographed by Patrick Demarchelier, with Woods' recruitment as a brand ambassador reportedly leading to a 30% increase in sales. Under Lalonde, TAG Heuer's sales represented over "50% of the growth in the luxury watch market" in the United States in 2004 and, by 2005, TAG Heuer was rated as the No. 2 luxury watch brand.<ref name="THESUN"/>
Lalonde served as president and CEO of Louis Vuitton North America<ref name="WEEKDAILY"/><ref name="MONTECRISTO"/><ref name="BIZOFFASHION">[https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/power-moves/power-moves-lalonde-named-ceo-smcp-trinity-appoints-cohen-barrato-exits-brioni-wilts-back-boss "Lalonde Named CEO of SMCP, Trinity Appoints Cohen, Barrato Exits Brioni, Wilts Back to Boss"], Robin Mellery-Pratt, ''Business of Fashion'', April 11, 2014</ref><ref name="CORNWALL"/> from 2006<ref name="WEEKDAILY"/> to 2010,<ref name="WEEKDAILY"/><ref name="MONTECRISTO"/> and in five years turned LV into the number one luxury brand on the market, thanks to strong strategic moves, new flagship stores, the launch of E-commerce and creative partnerships.
then returned to France to become the global CEO for LVMH brands Moët and Dom Pérignon.<ref name="CORNWALL" /> In 2010,<ref name="DRINKSBUSINESS">[https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2012/01/new-man-at-moet-chandon-helm/ "New Man at Moet and Chandon Helm"], Alan Lodge, The Drinks Business, January 9, 2012</ref> he became global CEO and president of Moët & Chandon<ref name="INSEAD" /><ref name="BLOOMBERG" /><ref name="DRINKSBUSINESS" /><ref name="WEEKDAILY" /> and, in July 2010, was named president and CEO of both Moët & Chandon and Dom Pérignon worldwide.<ref name="MONTECRISTO" />
===Ralph Lauren=== After ten years at LVMH,<ref name="CORNWALL"/><ref name="INSEAD"/> Lalonde became president of Ralph Lauren International<ref name="BIZOFFASHION"/><ref name="INSEAD"/> in January 2012,<ref name="BLOOMBERG"/><ref name="WEEKDAILY"/> in what was a newly created position.<ref name="BEVERLYHILLS">[http://bhcourier.com/ralph-lauren-names-daniel-lalonde-as-new-president/ "Ralph Lauren Names Daniel Lalonde As New President"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317233313/http://bhcourier.com/ralph-lauren-names-daniel-lalonde-as-new-president/ |date=2018-03-17 }}, Marc Karimzadeh, ''The Beverly Hills Courier''</ref> He announced his departure from Ralph Lauren in December 2013.<ref name="WEEKDAILY">[https://fashionweekdaily.com/daniel-lalonde-steps-down-as-president-of-ralph-lauren-international/ "Daniel Lalonde Steps Down As President Of Ralph Lauren International"], ''Fashion Week Daily'', December 9, 2013</ref>
===SMCP === In May 2014,<ref name="BIZOFFASHION"/><ref name="DRAPERS">[https://www.drapersonline.com/news/ralph-lauren-international-boss-daniel-lalonde-departs-for-sandro-and-maje/5059129.article "Ralph Lauren international boss Daniel Lalonde departs for Sandro and Maje"], Nick Johnstone, ''Drapers'', 8 April 2014</ref><ref name="FASHIONUNITEDv1">[https://fashionunited.uk/v1/design/daniel-lalonde-tapped-for-ceo-of-smcp-group/201404085969 "Daniel Lalonde Tapped for CEO of SMCP"], ''FashionUnited'', 08 April 2014</ref> he became the president<ref name="INSEAD"/> and chief executive officer of SMCP Group (Sandro - Maje - Claudie Pierlot),<ref name="BLOOMBERG"/> an internationally expanding French luxury fashion company <ref name="BUSINESSOFFASHIONequity">[https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/intelligence/daniel-lalonde-more-private-equity-transactions-to-come "SMCP's Daniel Lalonde: Expect More Private Equity Transactions in 2017"], ''Business of Fashion'', January 4, 2017</ref><ref name="WWDceo">[http://wwd.com/business-news/human-resources/sandro-and-maje-parent-names-daniel-lalonde-as-ceo-7633201/ "Sandro and Maje Parent Taps Daniel Lalonde as CEO"], Miles Socha, ''Women's Wear Daily'', April 8, 2014</ref><ref name="LESECHOS">[https://www.lesechos.fr/29/04/2014/lesechos.fr/0203470616142_un-nouveau-patron-a-la-tete-de-sandro-et-maje.htm#KUqr3jm8L2THL2eR.99 "A new boss at the head of Sandro and Maje - Daniel Lalonde, a Canadian from Ralph Lauren and LVMH, takes the chair."], ''Les Échos'', April 29, 2014</ref> in which he also became an investor.<ref name="CORNWALL"/> During his first year of leading SMCP, Lalonde travelled extensively in Asia, the Middle East, the United States, and Europe,<ref name="FASHIONNETWORKdesired">[http://fr.fashionnetwork.com/news/Daniel-Lalonde-Partout-j-ai-constate-la-desirabilite-de-nos-marques-,477013.html "Daniel Lalonde (SMCP): Everywhere, I have noticed the desirability of our brands"], Anaïs Lerévérend, ''Fashion Network'', April 2, 2015</ref> with the company posting a 19.2 percent rise in sales for the first half of 2016.<ref name="BUSINESSOFFASHIONequity"/> Under Lalonde leadership, SMCP became a leading player in accessible luxury through a global expansion and a strategic multi-channel approach including digital transformation and a publicly traded company on the Paris Stock Exchange in October 2017 with a valuation of US$2.5 billion at its IPO.<ref name="CORNWALL"/> In June 2019, after having reported revenues of 1 billion euros for 2018; Lalonde announced that SMCP will acquire French menswear "Accessible Luxury" label De Fursac,<ref>[https://www.forbes.com/sites/marioabad/2019/06/26/smcp-bidding-to-become-the-leading-group-in-accessible-luxury-following-its-first-acquisition/#129cdf7170e4 "SMCP Bidding To Become The Leading Group In Accessible Luxury Following Its First Acquisition"]; ''Forbes'', June 26, 2019.</ref> with international expansion planned for the brand.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-de-fursac-m-a-smcp/french-fashion-group-smcp-buys-mens-luxury-brand-de-fursac-idUSKCN1TQ0H6 "French fashion group SMCP buys men's luxury brand De Fursac"]; Reuters; June 25, 2019.</ref>
He departed SMCP and was appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Design Holding in August 2021.<ref name="DesignHolding">{{cite news |last=Halliday |first=Sandra |date=August 3, 2021 |title=SMCP's Daniel Lalonde to lead Design Holding |url=https://ww.fashionnetwork.com/news/Smcp-s-daniel-lalonde-to-lead-design-holding,1325012.html |work=Fashion Network |access-date=August 28, 2022}}</ref>
=== Design Holding ===
Appointed in August 2021 and based in Milan, in October 2021 Lalonde began his current role at Design Holding, a global leader in high-end design that encompasses a portfolio of brands including B&B Italia, Flos, Louis Poulsen, Maxalto, Arclinea, Azucena, Fendi Casa, Audo and Lumens. He drives the strategic growth trajectory for the Group, which is jointly owned by investment firms Investindustrial and Carlyle Group.
Since joining Design Holding, with an extensive experience acquired in the luxury goods sector, Lalonde has quickly set a bold ambition and begun implementing strategic moves to further expand the company’s global leadership and footprint among which the latest acquisition of Designers Company (a Danish group that includes Audo, developed by uniting MENU and by Lassen brands) in May 2022. Lalonde has also put sustainability at the core of the Group’s mission, developing a strong purpose-centric strategy for achieving fully sustainable design highlighted in the first Sustainability Report of the Group released in July 2022.
In 2024 Design Holding rebranded as Flos B&B Italia Group.<ref>{{cite web |title=Why Design Holding Is Rebranding as 'Flos B&B Italia Group' |url=https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/luxury/design-holding-changes-group-name/ |publisher=Business of Fashion |date=16 May 2024}}</ref>
=== Affiliations ===
Lalonde serves on the board of INSEAD, his alma mater,<ref name="INSEAD"/> and has lectured at institutions such as Harvard Business School and Columbia University.<ref name="LIVEMINT"/>
He currently serves as Director on the Boards of Design Holding, PUIG SA, a global leader in beauty and fashion, and Altagamma.
==Personal life== Currently lives in Milan with his wife Yvonne.<ref name="THESTAR"/><ref name="BUSINESSOFFASHIONequity"/> The couple have three children.<ref name="LIVEMINT"/> He travels between New York, Paris,<ref name="CORNWALL"/> and Toronto.<ref name="THESTAR"/> He has interests in vintage wine and oenology with private cellars in Paris.<ref name="LIVEMINT">[http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/jMgR3vAl9a2WKB2uK5cmqN/Daniel-Lalonde--Champagne-wasn8217t-always-a-bubbly.html"Daniel Lalonde - Champagne wasn’t always a bubbly"], Anindita Ghose, ''Livemint Magazine'', December 2, 2011</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{LVMH}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lalonde, Daniel}} Category:Canadian chief executives Category:University of Waterloo alumni Category:INSEAD alumni Category:Living people Category:1963 births Category:People from Cornwall, Ontario Category:Franco-Ontarian people