Supima CEO, President to retire, EVP to step in

By

Obi Anyanwu

Published
Jul 15, 2015

Supima on Monday announced that Jesse Curlee, the company CEO and President, will step down at the end of the year. The company Board of Directors has named Supima’s Executive Vice President, Marc Lewkowitz, as Curlee’s successor.

“Jesse has been a strong leader and advocate for Supima and has made a tremendous impact in the promotion and advancement of Supima cotton,” said Supima chairman Keith Deputy. “There is no doubt that everyone who Jesse has worked with will join us in wishing him the very best in his future adventures.”
 
Curlee joined Supima in October 1979 as General Manager and was promoted to CEO and President two years later. Under Curlee’s leadership, the company grew from 75,000 bales of cotton to over 850,000 bales. He spearheaded the launch of Supima’s annual Design Competition and fashion runway show at New York Fashion Week, and was instrumental in the creation of the Supima licensing program with its first licensees coming from Japan in the 1980s.

The company currently has 370 licensees in 39 countries, which includes spinners, knitters, weavers, manufacturers, brands and retailers.
 
Lewkowitz, Curlee’s successor, has worked closely with Curlee to build the Supima brand and expand its licensing program.