Philippe Piré

Biography

Mr. Piré joined Cognate in 2015 as the Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Piré has more than 25 years of experience establishing and implementing strategic plans for growth and development in companies operating in a wide spectrum of industries. Previously, Mr. Piré was the Managing Partner at Cross-Border Consultants where he advised several clients. Indicative representations include a private equity fund on the acquisition of a $75 million, privately-held outerwear manufacturing business; a veterinary hospital group in connection with the financial restructuring and implementation of an external growth strategy; and a women’s ready-to-wear brand operating on four continents in the negotiation of multi-million dollar leases. Before Cross-Border Consultants, Mr. Piré was Director of Business Development at Oberthur Fiduciare, a globally-recognized security printer focused on production of banknotes and other security documents. At Oberthur, Mr. Piré, was responsible for advising African ministries on strategies to prevent and eliminate counterfeiting of secure documents. From 1989 through 2007, Mr. Piré was based in New York as the Vice President, CFO of international, high-fashion brand Vertigo, a women’s ready-to-wear manufacturer, importer and distributer, where he managed 120 employees, Vertigo’s global network of franchises and in excess of $50 million in revenues. From 1996 through 2007, Mr. Piré was also the Founder and CEO of VPL, a manufacturer of private-label merchandise, whose products were featured at Express, Limited, Bebe, and Saks Fifth Avenue. Mr. Piré received his MBA in Finance at Université Paris Dauphine in 1984 and his Masters in Economics and Finance at Université Paris II. 

Research Interest

Finance