Hammitt names new CEO, CFO and CMO to drive growth

Los Angeles-based luxury handbag and accessories brand Hammitt has tapped a new executive team, including a new chief executive officer (CEO), chief financial officer (CFO), and chief marketing officer (CMO), to lead the next phase of growth, following a decade of strong direct-to-consumer momentum.

Hammitt has promoted its CFO, Ryan Meyer, to CEO, in recognition of his turnaround work at the brand, where he initiated a “sweeping reset” by building a senior team with top-tier experience, and led a return to fundamentals that the brand states is now "giving way to bold, expansive growth”.

Meyer has financial and fashion experience at brands including American casual apparel brand Buck Mason, yoga and accessories label Manduka, and Los Angeles-based women’s fashion and apparel brand The Great. He was also named CFO of the Year in the turnaround achievement category at the Los Angeles Business Journal.

He will be joined by Jenn Sprague as CMO, who has more than two decades of experience in global brand strategy, having worked for Warner Brothers, the BCBGMaxAzria Group, and running her own consultancy firm, and Kelvin So, who succeeds Meyers as CFO. So, recently served as global financial controller at Australian fashion brand Princess Polly.

“This isn’t just a leadership change - it’s a rebirth,” said Meyer in a statement. “Hammitt has always had heart and heritage. What we’re bringing now is structure, strategy, and scale. Jenn, Kelvin, and I are here to lead a generational transformation - and we’re only just getting started.”

LA-based handbag brand Hammitt appoints new executive team as it enters its next phase of scale and innovation

Hammitt adds that the strengthening of its leadership team follows several years of steady profitability and behind-the-scenes recalibration and will help elevate the luxury label into “its next era,” which will include scaling e-commerce growth and adding a wave of new flagship stores for Southern California “and beyond”.

Described as a “resist with intention,” the arrival of Meyer and Sprague has focused the company on rebuilding its core infrastructure, including tightening inventory, reimagining product design with a merchandising perspective, infusing sustainability efforts, optimising media and repositioning the brand “to reignite consumer interest”.

Meyer added: “Our revitalised senior team is passionate and ambitious. Every move we make is backed by data, driven by performance, and fuelled by belief in our long-term vision.”

The American brand has become known for its affordable luxury, sleek premium leather bags featuring jewellery-grade hardware, which have been given a boost in recent months thanks to actress Jenna Ortega seen carrying its slouchy ‘Kyle’ shoulder bag and large hobo bag, the ‘Tom Zip’ crafted with soft pebbled leather.