Touch of Modern Taps Egon Smola as President and Chief Operating Officer

SAN FRANCISCO, April 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Touch of Modern, the leading online shopping destination for men, has named Egon Smola to the newly created position of President and Chief Operating Officer.

In his new role, Smola – who will report directly to CEO and Co-founder Jerry Hum - will be responsible for day-to-day operations at Touch of Modern including developing existing internal talent and promoting company culture. In addition, Smola, who previously led operations for healthcare startup GetInsured, will partner with Hum to determine strategic direction for the company, manage interaction with the Board of Directors, explore fundraising and strategic partnership opportunities.

"Touch of Modern is at a stage in our growth – which continues at a rate of 150 percent year-over-year since our start in 2012 – when it makes sense to bring in an established, proven operator with the diverse experience to steer us down any of the many promising growth paths we could take next," explains Touch of Modern CEO and Co-founder Jerry Hum. "Egon has the combination of sharp, strategic thinking, operating experience, and a passion for nurturing talent, culture, customers and investors that perfectly fits our needs right now."

Egon brings a diverse background with a broad range of business models in multiple vertical industries for start-ups and Fortune 500 companies, most recently building a consumer health insurance brokerage for GetInsured. Prior to GetInsured, he turned around an online automotive marketplace at Dealix, created a global online dating subscription business at Yahoo!, built and ran the first mobile app store for Vodafone, and spearheaded the expansion of Amazon into several German-speaking countries. Egon started his career as a management consultant with Cap Gemini / Ernst & Young and as the Chief of Staff at the largest geriatric hospital in Western Europe. He holds a BA in international commerce from the University of Economics in Vienna, Austria, and a MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

"I'm thrilled to be joining such a dynamic group of founders at Touch of Modern, and it's an even bigger bonus that I've truly become addicted to the company's app as a genuine customer – what could be more fun than getting involved with a company that delivers joy, surprise and delight on a regular basis," said Smola. "At the same time, the business opportunity at Touch of Modern was undeniably attractive. With such a plethora of growth opportunities available to make Touch of Modern the primary way to shop for a male demographic in a mobile environment, the challenge will be in determining which of many possible paths to follow."

With Smola's hire, Touch of Modern Co-founders Dennis Liu and Stephen Ou remain in key roles for the company driving marketing and engineering initiatives, while Co-founder Jonathan Wu is transitioning to a consultant role with the company.

About Touch of Modern

Touch of Modern is a curated, online shopping destination for men to discover unexpected products, fashion, and accessories to elevate their lifestyle. We showcase one-of-a-kind, in-season products from well-known brands and up-and-coming designers that men can't easily find in mainstream retailers or at better prices. Founded in 2012 and based in San Francisco, California, the company has over 10 million users and has driven more than two million orders. To become a member please visit, www.touchofmodern.com.

Media Contact:
Aimee Grove
[email protected] 
(415) 706-1906

SOURCE Touch of Modern

Related Links

http://www.touchofmodern.com