| |
The Vision Of A Turnaround
|
| With Ken Ohashi (CEO, Brooks Brothers). |
| The New School, 63 5th Ave, Tishman Auditorium |
|
Mar 11 (Wed) , 2026 @ 06:30 PM
| |
FREE |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| DETAILS |
|
Brooks Brothers CEO, Ken Ohashi, Fireside Chat "The Vision of a Turnaround," presented by Gromek Institute
Meet the executive who led one of the most publicized acquisitions in American retail history & transformed a heritage brand to profitability in less than two years.
Join the Gromek Institute for Fashion Business for a fireside chat with Ken Ohashi, CEO of Brooks Brothers. A leader whose 25-year career spans fashion, consumer products, retail, & business development. Ohashi oversaw a $4 billion portfolio & helped form SPARC Group, a joint venture with Simon Property Group generating $4.7 billion in annual global retail sales, while serving as President of International & Global Retail at Authentic Brands Group.
His path to the CEO role was anything but conventional. Starting as a Certified Public Accountant at Arthur Andersen LLP, he later joined Aropostale, helping transition the company from privately held to publicly traded before rising to Senior Vice President of International & Global Licensing.
This conversation takes us through the turnaround, but it is also about the quiet work behind every career that lasts: learning how to tell your story so people can actually see you. Ohashi will share the lessons that shaped him as a first-generation leader, the instincts he built by saying yes before he felt ready, & the practical moves that turn ambition into momentum. At the center is storytelling as a business skill. Ohashi will share how he has coached emerging talent to reframe lived experience into leadership language, turning what can feel like "just a job" into proof of resilience, judgment, & value.
Ohashi has been recognized as No. 1 on the LGBTQ+ Executive Role Model list presented by Outstanding, named to Gold House's A100 List, & included among 50 Outstanding Asian Americans in Business. Under his leadership, Brooks Brothers has partnered with Braven & StartOut, championing first-generation & underrepresented students & supporting LGBTQ+ founders.
Moderated by Jos P. Chan, Senior Global Retail Executive, Entrepreneur, MIT Sloan Fellow, & PT Assistant Professor at Parsons School of Design. Chan has spent 25+ years at the intersection of retail, technology, & innovation, holding senior roles at LVMH & Richemont. He brings the combination of boardroom experience & academic depth to every conversation he leads.
Expect a candid conversation about leading through uncertainty, brand building, turnaround strategy, career pivots, practical career advice, & the power of storytelling from one of the industry's most compelling leaders. Come ready with questions.
Presented by Gromek Institute for Fashion Business
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
