Tory Burch appoints three new senior executives
The New York-based fashion house has promoted Thibault Villet to president and international markets director for Asia Pacific, Japan, Europe, and the Middle East. Meanwhile, Paolo Zullo has been appointed president of the European and Middle Eastern markets, and Joshua Chen joins the company as president of the Chinese market.
'Tory Burch LLC today announced three appointments to its management team. They will form a new regional management pole under the leadership of Thibault Villet, whose duties now include president of the Europe and Middle East sectors, as well as international management of APAC, Japan and EUME,' the house said in a release.
In his new position, Zullo will oversee sales activities (in boutiques and with partners) and e-commerce for the brand in this sector starting in July. Chen joins the company as president of the Chinese market, succeeding Zullo. Chen will be responsible for the brand's operations on the continent starting June 30. They both will report directly to Thibault Villet, alongside Edouard Roche, president of the Japanese market, and Carol Chiu, senior vice president and general manager of Asian retail. Thibault Villet will continue to report to Pierre-Yves Roussel, chairman and CEO of Tory Burch LLC.
'Thibault is an exceptional leader, and I am delighted to extend his responsibilities to Europe and the Middle East as we further develop the brand on a global scale. With his in-depth knowledge of regional market dynamics, international business development and cross-cultural team management, Thibault is now in a key position to lead these strategic regions to continued success. I am also delighted to reward Paolo for his success within our company with this promotion, and to welcome Joshua to our team,' said CEO Roussel.
With extensive retail and digital experience in the fashion and beauty sectors within the APAC region, Villet joined Tory Burch as president for the APAC region in December 2020. In 2023, he added the Japanese market to his responsibilities. Prior to joining Tory Burch, he held the position of president, Asian markets at One in Beauty, the entity combining the Revlon and Arden brands.
Commented Villet: 'Tory Burch is a dynamic brand with unlimited potential. I'm honored to join forces with Pierre-Yves, Tory and the entire team to continue to strengthen our presence in the global market and deliver sustainable growth. Paolo has been an excellent leader for the Chinese market, and I'm delighted to continue working with him in Europe and the Middle East, and now with Joshua in China.'
'Joshua Chen is an accomplished leader who has contributed to the commercial success and excellence of prestigious luxury brands in China,' the fashion house underlined.
Chen joins the company after spending the last ten years at Loewe, where he held positions of increasing responsibility, most recently as general manager for the Chinese market. Prior to that, he was a merchandiser at Louis Vuitton China. A graduate of Texas University in Austin, he holds a double MBA/MA from the Wharton School and the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. He will be based in Shanghai.
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