Matthew Moneypenny
June 21, 2024 -
The Southlands Foundation proudly welcomes Matthew Moneypenny as the 8th Executive Director of the historic Southlands Foundation in Rhinebeck, N.Y. Mr. Moneypenny will help drive Southlands’ mission and grow the organization in its fifth decade.
Mr. Moneypenny brings an extensive leadership portfolio to Southlands. A graduate of Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, Mr. Moneypenny began his career at Ralph Lauren in New York City before relocating to Los Angeles for a near decade long career in Hollywood at International Creative Management (ICM), ultimately as the Head of International Television at ICM London. Mr. Moneypenny returned to New York for Pratt Institute's Master of Industrial Design program before being recruited to build the image licensing division of legendary photo agency, Art + Commerce. When the company transacted to William Morris Endeavor in 2007, Mr. Moneypenny founded his first company, the luxury image licensing agency Trunk Archive, which was acquired by Waddell & Reed in 2013.
Mr. Moneypenny is also the founder, former Chairman & Chief Executive of Great Bowery, created by the acquisition of 14 International fashion talent agencies and forming the largest entity in the industry. For the last several years, Mr. Moneypenny has worked as a consultant to many of the world’s most notable luxury goods and media companies. He is a member of the Business of Fashion 500 and a Style Ambassador for Mr. Porter. Mr. Moneypenny was a member of the President’s Advisory Council at Vassar College and is a former Trustee of Mitchell College in New London, CT. An avid gardener and preservationist, Matthew also runs a boutique garden design & historic restoration consultancy, Moneypenny Gardens, based in the Village of Rhinebeck.
Mr. Moneypenny spent many transformational summers of his youth learning to ride and experience nature at Sky Ranch in Van, Texas and cited those experiences as a core reason for his interest in Southlands’ mission. “I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to combine 30 years of corporate leadership experience with my decades long passion for nature and conservation in service to the vision of Southlands’ inspirational founder, Deborah Dows,” states Mr. Moneypenny.
On behalf of the The Southlands Foundation Board, President Michele Tugade, welcomes these new leadership initiatives, “We are very happy to welcome Matthew to lead Southlands into its next phase of growth and impact. With his extensive background, he has shown exceptional leadership and innovation. Having an appreciation for the history of the Hudson Valley and a commitment to our mission, Matthew has a strong vision for Southlands. He is dedicated to collaboration and partnership, which will inspire others to honor the past and support Southlands into our future.”