Renzo Rosso’s OTB Group has recruited veteran LVMH executive Serge Brunschwig to become the CEO of Jil Sander. He will also act as OTB Group’s chief strategy officer. Earlier this month, Brunschwig announced his departure from LVMH after three decades with the French conglomerate.
Formerly the CEO of Fendi for six years, Brunschwig will bring enormous experience to the table at OTB and Jil Sander. He will report to the group’s CEO, Ubaldo Minelli, who said in a statement this morning: “In his role as CEO of Jil Sander, Serge will aim to further elevate the positioning of this brand with invaluable potential, carefully and strategically guiding its growth trajectory. Thanks to his experience and international vision, he will also contribute to defining an even more ambitious strategic path for OTB.”
In 2023, OTB reported a €1.9 billion turnover, 33.8 per cent direct channel growth and a grand total of 610 direct stores globally. Jil Sander, which is creatively directed by the husband and wife team Luke and Lucie Meier, recorded a 17.3 per cent growth in that same period. Brunschwig’s predecessor in the CEO role was Minelli, who took up the position in 2018.
Born in Arles, Brunschwig graduated from École Polytechnique in Paris before joining LVMH in 1995. He held various roles for Louis Vuitton and Sephora in Asia and France before being promoted to become chairman and CEO of Céline in 2006. He was named chief operating officer of Dior Couture in 2008. In 2015, he was appointed chairman and CEO of Dior Homme. In 2018, he moved to Rome to take up the CEO role at Fendi.
Speaking to Vogue Business whilst still at Fendi, Brunschwig revealed part of his philosophy of luxury, saying: “In luxury, I think there are two very important aspects. The first is to understand who you are and who you have always been…. But then, what is just as important is the capacity to surprise. To be more of the same but never the same. Because the cemeteries are full of brands that did not have that capacity and are not here any more.” Asked in the same interview about his impressions of working with teams in Italy as compared to other regions, he observed: “There is an attitude here that nothing is impossible.”
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