Paris Glove of Canada Ltd Names New CEO

Robert Langlois has been named CEO of Paris Glove of Canada Ltd, one of the oldest and most respected glove companies in North America.

This will be Langlois’ second stint with Paris Glove as he was vice president of sales and marketing for the company for two years beginning in 1989. He had been working in the same capacity for Ganterie Auclair, which was subsequently acquired by Paris Glove.

Most recently, Langlois was vice president of division sports for Montreal-basEd Raymond Lanctôt Ltd, which distributes eyewear, clothing, ski and team sports products in Canada and the U.S. During his 40-year career, he also worked with Jupa Sports, Head USA, and Salomon Canada Sport.

“Robert brings a wealth of experience to his new role,” said Torsten Janson, managing director and CEO of New Wave Group AB, which purchased Paris Glove in December 2011. “His time with Head America and Salomon in Canada ideally equips him to lead the Paris Group in the expansion years ahead.”

Paris Glove was entirely family-owned since its inception in 1945, when founders Felix and Lily Monk brought their glove knowledge from the old country to Canada. Peter Monk, president of Paris Glove at the time of the purchase, is continuing to serve in his leadership role to assist in the transition to the new management. Vice President Joan Monk continues in her position to focus on product specification and quality manufacturing.

Paris Glove companies include Auclair, which is the official supplier to practically every Canadian team on snow and ice including alpine, snowboarding, freestyle, speed skating, Nordic combined, telemark, speed skiing and, of course, cross country. The brand was prominent at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics where most of Canada’s athletes wore Auclair gloves, while the USA Olympic team featured six gold medalists wearing Auclair.

Backed by an enviable reputation synonymous with quality, style and performance, Paris Gloves sells to virtually every retailer in Canada, many major retailers in the USA, produces many private brand gloves for retailers, and licenses a number of non-proprietary brands such as Kodiak, Simon Chang, Izod, Joseph Abboud, and Etienne AIGNER.