Cole Steps Down from Iconix
The board of directors of Iconix Brand Group announced that Neil Cole is stepping down from his positions as CEO, chairman, and president and as a member of the board of directors. Cole has agreed to serve as a special advisor to the company through September 30, 2015, to assist with the transition. Cole intends to pursue other business opportunities. He has served as the company’s CEO, chairman, and president since he founded Iconix in 2005.
Iconix board member Peter Cuneo has been appointed chairman of the board and interim CEO. Cuneo has served on Iconix’s board since October 2006 and previously was the president and CEO of Marvel Entertainment.
The board said that it has formed a search committee to evaluate candidates to serve as the company’s next CEO and will be engaging a leading executive search firm to assist in the process.
As part of this announcement, Sue Gove, who joined the Iconix board in 2014, was named chair of the Audit Committee, a position formerly held by Cuneo. In addition, Drew Cohen has been named lead director. He has served on the Iconix board since 2004.