Meet the CEO who transformed a family run $6 million leather goods company into a $5 billion global lifestyle brand. Want to know how he did it and the secret to his success?
Join the Gromek Institute for Fashion Business for a fireside chat with former Coach CEO Lew Frankfort, followed by a book signing celebrating the launch of his business memoir. Marie Driscoll, a leading expert in luxury retail marketing and a Parsons faculty member, will moderate.
Before Coach, Frankfort began his career in New York City government, where he restored Head Start and day care programs as Commissioner of the Agency for Child Development. That same purpose-driven philosophy would define his 35 years at Coach, where he joined in 1979 and took the helm as Chairman and CEO in 1985.
What followed was nothing short of revolutionary: Frankfort didn't just grow a company; he democratized luxury. He transformed Coach from a niche leather goods manufacturer into a $5 billion global accessories and lifestyle brand, and culturally, he made premium design accessible to the everyday consumer.
Marie Driscoll, CFA, is a leading expert in luxury, fashion, beauty, retail, and sustainability. She is a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert (2021–2025), RETHINK Retail Advisor, and NRF 2025 Voice of Retail. As founder of Driscoll Advisors, she consults for retailers, brands, and retailtech firms. Marie is an adjunct professor at Parsons School of Design, The New School, FIT, and Baruch College, CUNY, and a frequent contributor to The Robin Report and Inside Retail.
In this intimate session, Frankfort will share candid insights on brand reinvention, purposeful leadership, and the art of building cultures that last. Today, as co-founder of Benvolio Group, Frankfort continues to mentor and invest in early-stage, values-driven consumer brands. His commitment to education, the arts, and community, rooted in his Bronx upbringing and shaped by his early public service, remains central to his philosophy on leadership and life.
For students, academics, and professionals alike, this conversation is an opportunity to learn from one of retail's most respected figures. Lew is a leader who built more than a brand, but a blueprint for its enduring success. So come with questions about product design, retail, value-based brands, and what it takes to lead creative teams.
Presented by Parsons Gromek Institute for Fashion Business at The New School
Lew Frankfort is Chairman Emeritus of Coach, Inc. He joined Coach in 1979 and served as Chairman and CEO from 1985 through 2014. During his 35 years with Coach, Lew built the small leather goods company into a $5 billion global accessories and lifestyle brand and was recognized multiple times by Barron’s as one of the “30 Most Respected CEOs around the World,” and by Institutional Investor as one of the “Best CEOs in America.”
After retiring from Coach, Lew co-founded Benvolio Group, an investment firm that focuses on early-stage disruptive consumer brands, including several where he advises and mentors senior leaders. Lew spent the first 10 years of his career in New York City government, with the last three restoring the city’s Head Start and day care programs as the Commissioner of the Agency for Child Development. He grew up in the Bronx and attended Hunter College and Columbia Business School. He and his wife Bobbie live in New York City, where they are active supporters of education and the arts. They have three children, eight grandchildren, and two beloved labradoodles.
Marie Driscoll, CFA, is a leading expert in luxury, fashion, beauty, retail, and
sustainability. She is a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert (2021–2025), RETHINK Retail Advisor, and NRF 2025 Voice of Retail. As founder of Driscoll Advisors, she consults for retailers, brands, and retailtech firms. Marie is an adjunct professor at Parsons School of Design, The New School, FIT, and Baruch College, CUNY and a frequent contributor to The Robin Report and Inside Retail.
Previously a top-ranked equity analyst recognized by The Wall Street Journal, Marie has published industry research for Coresight, Deloitte, KPMG, Luxury Daily and S&P/CapIQ. She leads the Retail Marketing Society, serves on the NRF’s Industry Partnership Council, and advises emerging startups.
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Lew Frankfort is Chairman Emeritus of Coach, Inc. He joined Coach in 1979 and served as Chairman and CEO from 1985 through 2014. During his 35 years with Coach, Lew built the small leather goods company into a $5 billion global accessories and lifestyle brand and was recognized multiple times by Barron’s as one of the “30 Most Respected CEOs around the World,” and by Institutional Investor as one of the “Best CEOs in America.”
After retiring from Coach, Lew co-founded Benvolio Group, an investment firm that focuses on early-stage disruptive consumer brands, including several where he advises and mentors senior leaders. Lew spent the first 10 years of his career in New York City government, with the last three restoring the city’s Head Start and day care programs as the Commissioner of the Agency for Child Development. He grew up in the Bronx and attended Hunter College and Columbia Business School. He and his wife Bobbie live in New York City, where they are active supporters of education and the arts. They have three children, eight grandchildren, and two beloved labradoodles.