Ari Kopelman, the former president and chief operating officer of Chanel Inc. who is credited with helping to drive the French luxury brand’s remarkable growth, has died at age 86, WWD reported on Oct. 8 .
According to a brand representative, the cause of death was pancreatic cancer.
Ari Kopelman was born September 23, 1938 in Brookline, Massachusetts and graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1960.
In 1985, Chanel owners Alain Wertheimer and Gerard Wertheimer hired Kopelman as president and chief operating officer of Chanel Inc. at their New York headquarters.
In 1986, Kopelman was hired to manage Chanel and Frederic Fekkai Beaute in the United States . Over the next 19 years, Kopelman expanded the company’s retail, fragrance, cosmetics, personal care, eyewear, and accessories businesses, turning it into a multibillion-dollar enterprise.
In 2004, he stepped down as president of the brand.