Sequential Brands names David Conn as new CEO

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Jan 7, 2020

Sequential Brands Group, the parent company of the Jessica Simpson brand, as well as Gaiam and Heelys, has named David Conn as its new director and chief executive officer. 

Conn brings over 25 years of experience in brand management and marketing to the company, most recently serving as CEO of ThreeSixty Group. In the role, he led ThreeSixty in acquiring and relaunching Sharper Image, as well as FAO Schwarz, which - under Conn's leadership - rolled out an e-commerce platform and made its return to New York City, opening its new Manhattan flagship in 2018.

Prior to ThreeSixty Group, Conn served as CEO of True Religion Brand Jeans, helped VF Corporation acquire Rock and Republic as VF's president of retail licensed brands and subsequently served as the denim label's band president. He also held the role of executive vice president of Iconix Brand Group, among other roles. 

"[Conn] is an innovative, strategic, and entrepreneurial executive with an established track record of building and transforming businesses with strong global consumer brands,” said William Sweedler, chairman of the Sequential Brands' board.

“He brings with him a wealth of knowledge in the retail sector and strong industry relationships, which will be invaluable to Sequential as we embark on this next chapter.”  

Conn succeeds Karen Murray, whose exit from the role of director and CEO of Sequential was announced in October of 2019. 

This past November, the company announced declining sales and deepening losses for the third quarter, reporting total revenue from continuing operations at $25.4 million, a 13.9% decrease from the $29.5 million reported in the prior-year period.

Meanwhile, the company’s quarterly net loss from continuing operations clocked in at $18.4 million, or $0.28 per diluted share, increasing from Q3 2018’s $10.5 million, or $0.16 per diluted share.