Biography

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George Carrara

George Carrara

Director

George Carrara was appointed to our Board of Directors on July 26, 2019.  He is the former President and Chief Operating Officer of Kate Spade & Company, a formerly publicly traded operator of global, multichannel lifestyle brands (“Kate Spade”) (formerly Liz Claiborne Inc. and Fifth & Pacific Companies, Inc.), serving in this role from February 2014 to December 2017 when the company was sold to Coach, Inc. Mr. Carrara oversaw strategy and business development, investor relations, supply chain, e-commerce, finance, global operations and information technology. He served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Kate Spade from April 2012 to February 2014. He worked for Tommy Hilfiger North America from 1999 through the sale of the company in 2011 and served in various senior positions, including as Chief Operating Officer from 2006 to 2011; Executive Vice President of U.S. Operations - Wholesale and Retail from 2004 to 2005; Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of wholesale operations from 2003 to 2004; and Chief Financial Officer for various wholesale divisions from 1999 to 2003.  Prior to that, Mr. Carrara served as Chief Financial and Operating Officer for Mirage Apparel Group. He began his career in the Entrepreneurial Services & Consumer Product Groups at Price Waterhouse, is a Certified Public Accountant and received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from the Wharton School. Since departing Kate Spade, Mr. Carrara has served in various advisory roles in the retail, fashion and e-commerce sectors.  In early 2024, George co-founded k4 Partners LLC, for the purpose of identifying, acquiring and scaling a fashion brand and, to date, has performed due diligence on several targets.  Additionally, between summer 2022 and spring of 2024 George served on the advisory board of Zliide Technologies ApS, a privately owned provider of retail self-checkout and instant omni- inventory systems.  He also recently served as a strategic advisor to Stigmi Learning, an on-demand secondary school tutoring platform in the start-up phase.

Throughout his career, Mr. Carrara has obtained extensive operational as well as commercial, financial and accounting expertise and leveraged these skills to manage transformations and create shareholder value. During his tenure as President and Chief Operating Officer of Kate Spade, he gained expertise in store operations, digital, supply chain, investor relations, international expansion, business development and strategic planning. In various senior finance and operations roles prior to that, Mr. Carrara obtained extensive financial planning, treasury, technology, logistics and accounting experience.  Mr. Carrara qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as such term is defined under applicable SEC rules. In addition, given his experience with other consumer-focused businesses, Mr. Carrara provides valuable insights and perspectives regarding the financing and operation of the Company’s business.
 

Financial Expert
Independent Director