Chanel
French luxury brand Chanel has appointed two executives to succeed Vincent Shaw, the President of the Asia-Pacific region who will retire later this year.
After 30 years of service, Vincent Shaw will retire at the end of June. A Chanel spokesperson told Bloomberg that his position will be jointly assumed by Renaud Bailly, the current Managing Director for China, and Stephanie Couette, the Managing Director for Hong Kong and Macau.
Chanel’s Chief Financial Officer, Philippe Blondiaux, stated at a luxury industry conference in Switzerland on Thursday: “A whole generation that has built Chanel into its current scale over the past 20 years will retire in the coming years. We are fortunate to have a new generation of leaders whom I am currently grooming for management roles.” Philippe Blondiaux, who joined Chanel from Nestlé in 2011, just celebrated his 59th birthday last month.
Armani Beauty
Armani Beauty announced that Véronique Gautier, who has served as the Global President of the brand since 2010, will step down and leave the L’Oréal Group.
Véronique Gautier began her career in the beauty department of Chanel in 1984. In 1988, she joined the Spanish fragrance and beauty group Puig, working on Paco Rabanne fragrances, before moving to Cartier to manage perfume marketing. Between 2000 and 2008, she worked at Hermès, initially as CEO of the Perfume Division and later as CEO of the Leather Goods Division. In September 2008, she was appointed President of the French designer brand Jean Paul Gaultier, and two years later, she joined the L’Oréal Group.
On her LinkedIn, Véronique Gautier paid special tribute to Giorgio Armani, with whom she had worked for several years. She has now established her own consulting firm.
H&M
H&M, the Swedish fast-fashion giant, announced the sudden departure of its CEO, Helena Helmersson, on Wednesday, after four years in the role. She will be immediately succeeded by Daniel Ervér, a veteran within the group.
Daniel Ervér has been with the H&M Group for 18 years, previously serving as the head of the H&M brand. Upon taking over as CEO of the group, he will continue to oversee the operations of the H&M brand.
Helena Helmersson stated that the demands of the CEO position have been “very strenuous” over her four-year tenure, and she does not have the energy to continue.
Her departure comes as H&M recently reported lower-than-expected sales data for the fourth quarter. H&M Group announced that its sales for the fourth quarter of 2023 remained flat at 62.65 billion Swedish kronor compared to the same period last year, with a 4% decrease in local currency terms, and an annual sales increase of 6% to 236 billion Swedish kronor. During the critical holiday season of December 2023 and January 2024, H&M’s sales declined.
Bernstein analysts commented that Daniel Ervér’s appointment represents “more of the same rather than change” and questioned whether he has the capability to take aggressive measures to turn around the business.
As of the close of trading on the day, H&M’s stock price plummeted by 11%, with a latest market value of approximately 232 billion Swedish kronor as reported by Luxeplace before the release of this article on February 3rd.
Crocs
Crocs, the American casual footwear group, announced that Michelle Poole, the 55-year-old Executive Vice President and President of the brand, has decided to retire. To ensure a seamless transition, she will remain in her position until early May and serve as a consultant until early 2025.
According to Crocs, Inc.’s succession plan, Anne Mehlman, the current Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will be promoted to Executive Vice President and President of the Crocs brand. She will continue to serve as the company’s CFO until her successor is appointed. Crocs, Inc. has begun a comprehensive search for a new Chief Financial Officer.
Anne Mehlman, a graduate of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs with a Bachelor’s degree, has over 20 years of global finance and operations experience. She rejoined Crocs in 2018 as Executive Vice President and CFO, having previously served as Vice President of Corporate Finance at Crocs from 2011 to 2016. After leaving Crocs, she served as CFO of Zappos.com, an e-commerce retailer owned by Amazon.
Rhode
Rhode, the skincare brand founded by super model Hailey Bieber, has appointed Nick Vlahos as its new CEO, effective immediately. He succeeds Melanie Bender, who left the position in October 2023.
Nick Vlahos previously served as CEO of The Honest Company, a clean personal care company founded by Hollywood actress Jessica Alba, leading the brand through its initial public offering.
He also held positions as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President at The Clorox Company, as well as Vice President and Global General Manager at Burt’s Bees.
Sweaty Betty
Sweaty Betty, the British luxury activewear brand, has announced the appointment of Kerry Williams as Chief Marketing Officer.
Kerry Williams brings over 14 years of marketing leadership experience in the sports market, most recently serving as CMO of the smart fitness and wearable technology brand Myzone Group LTD. Prior to that, she served as CMO of Gymspin/Herd Brands and spent over a decade at Nike in various leadership roles, including in the Training Division and Global Football Division. Notably, she is also a former England and Great Britain international field hockey player, having won 96 caps and medals at the World Cup, Commonwealth Games, and European Championships.
Borsalino
Borsalino, the Italian luxury hat maker, has hired Alessandro Biamonti as its Marketing and Communications Director. In October last year, Alessandro Biamonti joined Borsalino from the Italian luxury fashion brand MSGM.
He replaced Sasha Camperio, who was appointed as Marketing Director of Borsalino’s parent company, the Swiss investment firm Haeres Capital, which also owns the French luxury womenswear brand Vionnet.
Alessandro Biamonti, a graduate of the Istituto Europeo di Design in Milan, has over a decade of experience in the fashion industry. After working at the communication agency Karla Otto, he joined MSGM, where he was responsible for brand communication for seven years before joining Borsalino.
| Source: Official press releases, Bloomberg, Fashionnetwork, LinkedIn
| Image Credit: LinkedIn
| Editor: LeZhi
