Dior boss Sidney Toledano surprised by post-Galliano profits rise Dior's CEO and president, Sidney Toledano, has said he was surprised Galliano's dismissal had no negative effect on sales. Sidney Toledano, the president and chief executive of Christian Dior has revealed he was surprised by the brand's astonishing rise in revenue - which topped $1 billion for the first time in 2011, a 21 percent increase on the previous year - despite the absence of a permanent creative director following John Galliano's dismissal. READ: Raf Simons appointed artistic director at Dior I never considered that. Toledano told the Financial Times . I always thought we absolutely needed an artistic director...They, and their charisma, are what creates breakthroughs. But despite this, Toledano still believes a creative head offers a design house a certain edge, most importantly by engaging with the design team and keeping the essence of the brand's heritage but bringing the established values up to date. "I could stand in front of the team and give them our objectives, guidelines, talk to them about the market and prices and they would do it, but the end result would be flat," he continued. IN PICTURES: Raf Simons at Christian Dior: What to expect This, he says, is the most important aspect of the role - much more so than becoming the brand's public face and persona, suggesting he won't be disappointed if Raf Simons, the newly-appointed artistic director of Dior, shies away from the limelight unlike his gregarious predecessor Galliano. "If it works for the designer, then fine," he said, "and if it feels natural. But if not, it can be counterproductive, and it is better to avoid it. In the end, luxury is judged not by whether a designer's face is on X number of posters, but by their work. Following Galliano's dismissal the label was temporarily helmed by Bill Gaytten, Galliano's quiet former right-hand-man, until Simons' appointment was announced in April this year.