Sergio Rossi appoints Helen Wright as global CEO

Italian fashion brand Sergio Rossi has announced the appointment of Helen Wright as its new global chief executive officer, a role she succeeds from Paul Kotrba, who had served in the position on an interim basis since April.

The news was confirmed by the luxury footwear house in a statement to Fashionnetwork, for which it noted that Wright had been tasked with “strategic transformation”, as well as “defining and leading [its] global strategy, collaborating with stakeholders and valued business partners to deliver sustainable growth”.

There will be a particular focus “on collection content, distribution channel optimisation, brand visibility and execution, and the continued development and commercial strategy for vital markets”, including the US, UAE, Japan and Greater China, the company added.

Wright joins Sergio Rossi from her most recent role as CEO of family footwear firm Bloch International, where she was credited with leading an organisation review and development and adjacent product category extension, among other things.

Prior to this, she served as CEO for both Belstaff and Anya Hindmarch over the course of almost six years, and had further held a number of leadership positions at other luxury houses, including Fendi, where she was president EMEI, and Karl Lagerfeld, where she had been global vice president.

On her new position, Wright told Fashionnetwork that Sergio Rossi had “important new horizons and new audiences to reach” as the company goes under revitalisation.