Stefano Biondo takes over at Marni

By

Laura Galbiati

Published
May 14, 2018

OTB-owned men's and women's ready-to-wear, footwear and accessories brand Marni has announced the appointment of Stefano Biondo as its new CEO. The executive was hired by Ubaldo Minelli, OTB CEO since December 2017, and will step into the new role from May 15, having spent the last 15 years working at Safilo, where he most recently served as Chief Brand Officer. 

The appointment is part of the restructuring project launched by the brand two years ago in Italy, Japan, the United States and Asia, a project which also outlines an industrial plan making provision for accelerated growth. The brand is focusing particularly on China, as well as on its menswear licenses. With the arrival of Francesco Risso as creative director two years ago, the brand's accessories category has also seen strong improvements, showing 70% to 90% growth, depending on the market. 

Marni reported revenues of 180 million euros in 2017 and is currently present in 54 countries, available through a network of 470 multibrand stores, 70 monobrand locations operated directly by the brand and a further 22 opened through collaborations with local partners. Upcoming store openings are planned for Paris, New York and Rome, along with a slew of new locations in China. Over the past few seasons, the brand has also been developing the "Marni Market" project, which revolves around travelling department store-based pop-ups, as well as a set of worldwide online platforms.