Kopelman, Arie Leonard
KOPELMAN, ARIE LEONARD
KOPELMAN, ARIE LEONARD (1938– ), U.S. businessman. Born in Brookline, Mass., and brought up in Boston, Kopelman spent the first part of his professional life as a highly accomplished advertising executive, then achieved even greater success at Chanel, the Paris-based fashion and fragrance house. Although he was nominally in charge of Chanel's U.S. business, Kopelman's influence was international. He majored in art history at Johns Hopkins University before graduating in 1960, then earned an M.B.A. at Columbia Business School in 1962. He began his career at Procter & Gamble, marketing Ivory soap, and in 1965 he joined the advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach, becoming vice chairman and general manager. His work on the Chanel account led to a friendship with Chanel chairman Alain Wertheimer, who hired him in 1985 as vice chairman and chief operating officer of the company's U.S. subsidiary. Within a few years, Kopelman was president. He remained at Chanel Inc. for 19 years, retiring in 2004 after leading the company to $2.2 billion in worldwide sales. "If you have the right product, you can have a very good business," he once said, "but if you have the right product backed by the right marketing, you can have a great business." When Kopelman arrived, Chanel was just beginning to open its own stores. When he stepped down, Chanel had 16 of its own stores in the U.S., eight fine jewelry boutiques, and more than 90 retail accounts. He is credited with building strong relationships with retailers and magazine publishers; maintaining Chanel's reputation for sophistication, taste, and elegance; and broadening its product range. A philanthropist and supporter of the arts, he served on the boards of many organizations, including the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. He became a fixture as chairman of the Winter Antiques Show in New York and was a director of the Municipal Art Society, the New York City Ballet, and the Nantucket Historical Society. He was also a director of the Heinz Awards, named for the late U.S. Senator John Heinz, with whom he developed a close friendship.
[Mort Sheinman (2nd ed.)]