THE fashion industry calls him "the ice cream man" and he describes himself as a "modern gypsy" but now Robert Polet is about to change career once again and join the board of one of Scotland's most successful whisky companies.
William Grant & Sons, the company behind famous brands like Glenfiddich and The Balvenie, has appointed 56-year-old Mr Polet as a non-executive director.
The former Gucci Group chief executive, who announced he was leaving the fashion company in February, will officially join the board on September 1.
Mr Polet has previously been credited with turning around the fortune of the Gucci Group, which includes brands such as Stella McCartney, Yves Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen among others.
Peter Gordon, William Grant & Sons chairman, said: “Robert has a special track record of leading and developing luxury brands which will be valuable to our board as we continue our journey to make our brands the envy of the spirits industry.
“We look forward to Robert contributing to the board as a non-executive director and, also, to his participation in strategic projects as agreed with our chief executive, Stella David.”
Mr Polet, who was born in Kuala Lumpur but went to school in Britain and Holland, previously held the position of global head of frozen food and ice cream for Unilever. He joined the Gucci Group, which is a subsidiary of French fashion company PPR, in 2004.
It was his Unilever role which inspired the nickname “the ice cream man” by fashion industry insiders who were shocked at his appointment to Gucci.
However, he was quick to answer his critics by turning around flagging finances in the group. Indeed, the Gucci Group’s holding company, PPR, posted a net income increase of 56% for 2010. This success was said to have come as a result of strong figures in the last quarter of 2010, with sales up 39.9% at Bottega Veneta, 23.3% at Gucci and 24% at Yves Saint Laurent.
Mr Polet also won the 2007 Fortune European Businessman of the Year award for his work at the fashion company.
He has said of his business style: “I focus on three things: leading and coaching people, managing brands and creating an environment where creativity can flourish.”
Mr Polet, who is married with two grown-up daughters, is well-known for his alternative style of management. A self-confessed technology fan, he once asked his staff to find out how Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Apple chief executive Steve Jobs configured the technology in their offices in order to make sure he had the same thing.
He has said: “I need to lead the way in these new developments. I can’t wait for someone else to tell me they have it.”
There were also claims he once tried to get technicians to block radio waves from his meeting rooms so executives couldn’t operate their BlackBerrys during discussions.
Mr Polet joined Unilever in 1978 and left in 2004.
During his time at the Gucci Group he said: “Other companies try to manage creativity, but actually stifle it by managing it. I’m never going to go back to a more bureaucratic environment.”
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