Timothy Charles Parker to Retire as Board Chair Following 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders; Jerome Squire Griffith to Assume Role

MANSFIELD, Mass. and HONG KONG, March 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Samsonite Group S.A. (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, the "Company", "Samsonite Group," "our", "us" or "we"; SEHK stock code: 1910), the world's best-known and largest travel luggage company and a leader in global lifestyle bags, today announced that Timothy Charles Parker, Chairman of the Company's Board of Directors, will retire from the Board following the 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders in June. The Board has elected Jerome Squire Griffith, an independent non-executive member of the Board since 2016 and former Chief Executive Officer of Tumi Holdings, Inc., to assume the Chairman role upon Mr. Parker's retirement.

Mr. Parker has served as the Chairman of Samsonite Group's Board since the Company was incorporated in 2011. He previously served as the Non-Executive Chairman of the consolidated group from 2008 to 2009, Chairman and CEO of the consolidated group from 2009 to 2014 and as Non-Executive Chairman since 2014.

Mr. Griffith previously served as the CEO, President and a director of Tumi Holdings, Inc. from April 2009 until its acquisition by Samsonite in August 2016. More recently, he served as the President, CEO and a director of Brown Jordan, Inc., a leading manufacturer of outdoor and indoor furniture.

"Serving as Chairman of the Samsonite Group Board has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my career," Mr. Parker said. "I am grateful to have worked alongside an exceptional team of leaders to strengthen Samsonite Group's global leadership position, enhance our portfolio of consumer-centric, iconic brands and build a track record of growth. I am confident that the Company is in strong hands with Jerome, whose deep knowledge of the brands and industry experience will continue to be invaluable to the Board and management team."

"On behalf of the entire Board, I want to thank Tim for his visionary leadership and extensive contributions throughout his nearly two decades with the Company," said Kyle Gendreau, CEO of Samsonite Group. "As Chairman, Tim helped steer the business through pivotal moments of transformation while maintaining a culture dedicated to innovation. We are grateful for his service and the lasting impact he has had on the Company. I look forward to continuing to partner with Jerome and the other members of the Board as Samsonite Group enters its exciting next chapter."

"It is a tremendous honor to be given the opportunity to lead the Samsonite Group Board," Mr. Griffith said. "I look forward to continuing to work with my fellow directors to oversee the Company's strong execution as we take advantage of our market leadership and scale and build upon our platform to drive continued growth around the world."

About Samsonite Group
With a heritage dating back to 1910, Samsonite Group S.A. (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, the "Company", "Samsonite Group", "our", "us" or "we") is the world's best-known and largest travel luggage company and a leader in global lifestyle bags. We own and operate a portfolio of consumer-centric and iconic brands, led by Samsonite, TUMI, and American Tourister, that empower our customers' journeys with globally trusted, innovative and increasingly sustainable products. Building on our long history of industry leadership, the Company's vision is to create a path toward a more sustainable future for its industry. The Company is principally engaged in the design, manufacture, sourcing and distribution of luggage, business and computer bags, outdoor and casual bags and travel accessories throughout the world, primarily under the Samsonite, TUMI, and American Tourister brand names as well as other owned and licensed brand names. The Company sells its products through a variety of wholesale distribution channels, through its company-operated retail stores and through e-commerce. The Company sells its products primarily in Asia, North America, Europe and Latin America. The Company's ordinary shares are listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited ("SEHK").

Special Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements
This communication contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the words "continue," "ensure," "future," "long-term," "intend," "position," "vision," "will" or the negative of these terms, or other comparable terminology intended to identify statements about the future. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to materially differ from the information expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements and opinions contained in this communication are based upon information available to us as of the date of this communication and, while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. Forward-looking statements contained in this communication include, but are not limited to, statements concerning the future performance and profitable growth of Samsonite, the strength and positioning of our brands and our ability to affect the sustainability of our industry, the effects and timing of senior leadership changes and our expectations regarding permanent senior leadership roles. Actual events or results may differ from those expressed in forward-looking statements. As such, you should not rely on such forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The outcome of the events described in these forward-looking statements is subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors including, among other things, the risks and uncertainties described in our most recent annual and interim reports. The results, events, and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur, and actual results, events or circumstances could differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

 

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SOURCE Samsonite