MatchesFashion Taps Paolo De Cesare As New CEO

London-based retailer MatchesFashion has appointed Paolo de Cesare as its new chief executive.

“Proud to be joining Matchesfashion as their new CEO. The company pioneered luxury e-commerce and will continue to innovate and delight the most demanding global customers,” De Cesare said on Linkedin.

De Cesare holds more than 30 years of experience in luxury and retail and over the past 12 years, he has served as the president and CEO at the Printemps Group. In his position, De Cesare led the group’s efforts to revamp its physical store business and build customer proposition with a focus on luxury.

De Cesare brings 24 years of experience working in Italy, Belgium, the U.K., Japan, the U.S. and Switzerland for Procter & Gamble. He has held various executive roles such as general manager and president of cosmetics division Japan and global president of skincare and fine fragrances in Switzerland. De Cesare also served as the president for the International Group of Department Stores, an industry association of global department stores, from 2016 to 2020.

The appointment is part of an ongoing executive reshuffling at MatchesFashion. Earlier this year, former chief executive Ajay Kavan left the role after just one year on the job. Maureen Chiquet then stepped in and served as executive chairwoman of Matchesfashion temporarily. The role, however, has been left unfilled in March 2021. Once De Cesare starts in his role, Chiquet will return to her position on the board.

“We are delighted to welcome Paolo as CEO. His understanding of luxury, his energy and enthusiasm, and his long and varied experience as a senior executive around the globe make him ideally suited for the role. We are very much looking forward to working with him,” said Tom Hall, partner at Apax Partners and member of the board of directors at Matchefashion.

Originally published at https://retailbum.com on September 21, 2021.