Superdry revamps management, new COO to join

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Dec 16, 2020

There’s change at the top at Superdry as chairman Peter Williams prepares to stand down, co-founder Julian Dunkerton is confirmed as permanent CEO (rather than holding the post on an interim basis as previously) and the company names a new COO.

Superdry said the changes represent “a further strengthening of its executive management team, as [it] accelerates the strategic reset of the brand”.

Williams will exit next year and will leave the board at the same time as he relinquishes the chairman's post. 

Dunkerton, who's the largest shareholder in Superdry plc with a 20.3% stake and whose interim CEO contract had been due to expire in April, will now be supported by the appointment of Silvana Bonello as COO. They “will build on the good progress made on the reset of the business and the brand to date, and ensure Superdry fulfils its potential as a world-class, sustainable fashion brand”. 

Bonello was most recently VP Operations for Vans EMEA (part of the VF Corporation) and will relocate to the UK from Switzerland to take up her new post on March 1. She has also held numerous senior operational and strategic roles in the US and the Netherlands with Nike, where she spent 18 years. 

As COO, she’ll report directly to Dunkerton and become a member of the executive team. In her new role, she’ll be responsible for “enhancing the effectiveness of the company's end-to-end operations and planning processes, encompassing merchandising, logistics, IT, business transformation, sourcing processes and corporate strategy”.  

The company said that “her proven skills across these responsibilities will allow Julian to focus on delivering the strategic plan across Superdry's product, brand and distribution channels. Sustainability will continue to be a primary area of focus for Julian and he will continue to directly oversee the progression of Superdry against its environmental and sustainability agenda”.

Meanwhile, an exact date for Williams’ departure hasn't been decided on as it will only happen when a successor is appointed. He's been in his role since April 2019, supporting Dunkerton when he returned to the helm of Superdry.

He said he  joined “with a clear goal of ensuring a smooth transition following the change of management last year. Julian and Silvana's appointments are amongst the last steps in putting the right team together to secure the turnaround of the business.  With the search for a new CFO well advanced, the completed executive team will be in place early next year and so 2021 is an appropriate time for me to step down”.