Otrium names Anja Popp as chief people officer

Off-season fashion platform Otrium has named Anja Popp its new chief people officer to spearhead its people-first HR approach.

Popp, a strong proponent of remote work, has been tasked with leading Otrium towards a fully remote model as it seeks to improve the sustainability of the fashion industry by ensuring all clothing is worn.

With a background in psychology, Popp has more than 15 years of experience in HR and has previously worked at Uberall, King, Fujitsu and AMD.

Milan Daniels, co-chief executive and co-founder of Otrium, said in a statement: “It was important for us to find a passionate and experienced leader who believed in the power of people and culture. We place great value on who we employ, and for a company growing as fast as we are, it’s so important to get that right.

“We’re building a truly diverse global team to achieve our goal of a flexible working model that works for everyone, wherever they are in the world, and we love that Anja champions the freedom that remote working can bring.”

Commenting on her new role, Popp added: “It’s a really exciting time to join Otrium. I love vision-led companies and Otrium’s purpose to ensure all clothing is worn and create a more circular fashion industry is compelling.

“The company is growing fast, but has managed to maintain its strong values. Culture and employee wellbeing is the key driver for performance and I look forward to helping Otirum grow even further with a people-first HR approach. An important aspect of this for me is remote working - I employ people based on their strengths and interests, not based on where they live.”

Otrium works with more than 400 fashion brands and serves over 20 markets across Europe and the US in its mission to ensure all clothing is worn, as currently, around 1 in 10 items are never sold, remaining in warehouses and eventually ending up in landfills. Recent labels joining its roster include Zadig and Voltaire, All Saints, Viktor & Rolf and Thakoon, adding to its established brand list featuring Karl Lagerfeld, Reiss, Asics and Adidas.