Tom Korbas

Background

About Tom Korbas

Current Independent Board Director and former President of the Americas for Samsonite, the public US and global travel goods market leader with 2023 revenues of $3.7billion. Broad functional leadership background across sales & marketing, manufacturing, operations, global sourcing, general management-with exceptional performance history at every level, including driving consistent record sales and profits as region President- region sales grew from $335mil in 2004 to a $1 billion business in retirement year, while improving ebitda from 6% of sales to consistently 15-16+% and setting the stage for continued revenue and margin growth. Closed with 6 consecutive record years prior to retirement in 2016- notably growing US sales by 15.7% annually without acquisitions and by 22.7% annually including acquisitions- including double digit average annual sales increases at 13 of top 15 wholesale accounts while expanding D2C, substantially growing US market share with a 184/157 index to the industry with and without acquisitions, and named “a top place to work” by the Boston Globe. Over tenure, Latin America sales averaged double digit annual sales increases, growing to $124 mil with $17.2 mil ebitda. As Chairman of Speck Products (electronic accessories space), after losing money pre acquisition, quickly turned profitable, including $21 mil ebitda on $153 mil sales in 2018. BSIE/MBA, APICS certified. Travel Goods Association “Lifetime Achievement Award”. Past Board member- Fashion Accessories Shippers Association. Current volunteer Board member Hockomock Area YMCA and volunteer speaker. Experience/skills include direct responsibility for both North & South America, participating in Samsonite's global IPO tour, acquisitions/integrations, analytics based strategy development, driving to optimum total cost model to enable funding of marketing growth initiatives, growing sales across all channels- from mass merchants/big boxes to dept stores to luxury and D2C- company website & owned outlet & full price retail stores, dramatically reducing non value added non advertising fixed costs as a percent of sales, consumer preferred product development/innovation, supply chain improvements, factory & distribution center studies/openings/closings/consolidations, make/buy, global sourcing shifts, conversion to JIT manufacturing, dramatic plant productivity improvements, inventory & service improvements, numerous “vendor of year” awards, domestic US/Dominican Republic/Mexico Maquiladora factories, Labor Union negotiations/dealings, trade/tariff issue testimonies/efforts.