- Jide Zeitlin resigned as CEO and President of Tapestry on Tuesday, and the company said his departure was “for personal reasons.”
- Later Tuesday, Zeitlin wrote in a LinkedIn post that he left because a journalist, William Cohan, had resurfaced allegations against Zeitlin that he was concerned about being a “distraction” in his job as CEO.
- In a story published by ProPublica on Wednesday, Cohan detailed Zeitlin’s background, as well as the allegations made against him. At least one woman has accused Zeitlin of using “deception” to lure her “into an unwanted romantic relationship.”
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Jide Zeitlin resigned Tuesday as CEO and President of Tapestry, parent company of Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman.
In a press release about his departure, Tapestry said Zeitlin left the company “for personal reasons.” A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to Business Insider that the company’s board had opened an investigation into Zeitlin’s personal behavior, after which the CEO resigned.
Zeitlin elaborated on the situation in a LinkedIn post published later on Tuesday, saying: “I have long believed in the importance of telling one’s life story, rather than allowing others to control the narrative.”
In it, he writes that Tapestry was approached by journalist William Cohan shortly after Zeitlin became the company’s CEO in September.
Zeitlin said Cohan initially said he wanted to write a profile of the new CEO’s career, but that a few months after Zeitlin agreed to an interview, “it became clear that Cohan’s article could include allegations that were made 11 years ago in my United States. ” Senate confirmation process when President Obama nominated me to be ambassador to the United Nations. “
Zeitlin continued: “Essentially, it was the accusation that I had an inappropriate relationship with a woman I met while pursuing my interest in photography.”
He wrote that he sometimes used a pseudonym while photographing people “for privacy reasons” and because at the time he was a young banker, one of the few black people who rose in the ranks.
“The allegations that I got too close to the woman mentioned above are true; however, our relationship started and ended 13 years ago, it had nothing to do with my role in Tapestry, and I did not use power, wealth or position. to continue that relationship, “Zeitlin wrote on LinkedIn. “Cohan’s excessive focus on this outdated issue was and continues to be strange and disturbing.”
Zeitlin’s note continues to speculate that Cohan’s questions about the allegations revealed a political or financial agenda.
“More than a decade after my UN nomination process, I cannot allow these allegations to be armed against me. I cannot allow anyone to treat me with the lack of decency that Cohan has brought to his crusade against me while working passionately alongside everyone to navigate this critical moment in Tapestry history, “he wrote.
“I came to the conclusion last weekend that this distraction will not allow me to fulfill my responsibilities as CEO. I hope you know how much I care about you and the company. The last thing I want is to increase the uncertainty of each of you. are already facing due to Covid-19 and the economic downturn. “
Cohan’s Zeitlin story was published by ProPublica early Wednesday morning. In it, Cohan details Zeitlin’s background and discusses the allegations made against him in depth.
At least one woman has accused Zeitlin of using “deception” to lure her “into an unwanted romantic relationship,” Cohan reported.
“As my story makes clear, those allegations are more than ridiculous,” Cohan said in response to Business Insider’s request to comment on Zeitlin’s allegations that the report was financially or politically motivated.
Cohan continued: “The piece started as a story about Jide and his many accomplishments and successes throughout his life and only took turns when challenged, in the style of Gary Hart, to continue investigating him and his personal life, such as I made it very clear in history. My only motivation was to get to the truth. “
Representatives for Zeitlin and Tapestry declined to comment further.
