A Chat with Christophe Gaigneux,EVP, Boston Apparel Group,

CS: What was your biggest challenge in the first few years on the job with Redcats?

CG: Back in '03 when I joined Redcats from France, I had two major challenges. One was related to culture. The big challenge was to understand the cultural differences not just between the two parts of the company, but between the two countries, the U.S. and France. It was my first assignment outside of Europe. A specific challenge was trying to facilitate internal discussions, debates and initiatives. People were not used to speaking up as much as I wanted them to speak up. I had to create an atmosphere where debate was encouraged. I wanted people to come up with their own ideas and initiatives, to be more proactive. Pushing the different departments to work together, the organization was a little bit siloed. Also, pushing mobility and internal promotions.