Dermott Rowan

Dermott Rowan is the managing director and co-owner of Kiely Rowan Plc, the company that owns the fashion brands Orla Kiely and Olive & Orange. His wife Orla Kiely started the brand in the early nineties as a women's bag designer.

Rowan was born in Dublin^[1] where he attended Clongowes Wood College, and graduated from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He worked as a financial controller before 1997 , when he and Kiely founded the Orla Kiely Partnership, which would become Kiely Rowan Plc. in 2004.^[2][3]

He is responsible for international business negotiations for the company,^[2] and the supply of the 550 US stockists.^[1] His focussed on the Japanese market, following the lead of Paul Smith.^[4] With Kiely he won the UK Fashion Exporter's Exporter of the Year Award 2008.^[5] In 2009 he was a finalist in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards International category.^[6]

Rowan lectures on international brand building and export strategy at colleges in the UK in addition to being a regular guest speaker to the UK Fashion Exports, the Japan Institute and the Entrepreneurs Club of Hong Kong.^[7]

Personal life

He and his wife live in Clapham with their two sons.^{[2] [3]}

References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 O'Clery, Cathy (28 June 2008). "In the bag". The Irish Times. Retrieved 6 July 2010. 
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Walshe, Barbara (February 2008). "Orla Kiely: The Irish Charm". Coutts Woman. Retrieved 6 July 2010. 
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Emling, Shelly (6 June 2009). "A Designer's Gift for Understatement". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 July 2010. 
4. ↑ "HSBC to pay for business owners to learn from international mentors". Daily Telegraph. 10 May 2010. Retrieved 6 July 2010. 
5. ↑ Bumpus, Jessica (28 July 2008). "Kiely's Big Plans". Vogue. Retrieved 6 July 2010. 
6. ↑ "Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year". RTE Television. Retrieved 6 July 2010. 
7. ↑ "Past Speakers". The Entrepreneurs Club. Retrieved 6 July 2010.