Eva Serrano Named Calvin Klein Global Brand President
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Calvin Klein has a new leader.
PVH Corp. named Inditex veteran Eva Serrano global brand president of the business.
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Serrano, who spent 20 years with Inditex and its Zara business, starts in March and will report to Stefan Larsson, chief executive officer of PVH.
Larsson has been running Calvin Klein directly since Trish Donnelly signed off as CEO of PVH Americas and Calvin Klein Global in August. A search for a new head of the North America business is continuing.
“Eva is a unique leader in the fashion and apparel sector and has proven experience within one of the most innovative and highest-performing brand groups globally in our sector,” Larsson said.
“She knows how to drive brand growth in global markets, how to connect with the consumer and what it takes to win across the marketplace,” the CEO said. “Eva also deeply understands the disruptive forces in our industry and how to connect a brand’s core value proposition to where the consumer is going. Her experience will be critical in unlocking Calvin Klein’s full global potential, and her appointment is an important next step in our continuing execution of the PVH+ Plan, our multiyear growth plan.”
Larsson knows the fast-fashion world well, having come to PVH from H&M — by way of Old Navy and Ralph Lauren — and is recruiting from the sector’s ranks as he pushes through his strategic growth plan. Most recently, former H&M executive David Savman officially started as executive vice president and chief supply chain officer this month.
Serrano brings a wealth of experience to Calvin Klein, which along with Tommy Hilfiger, powers PVH.
While she was most recently president of Inditex Greater China, she spent time in various areas of the company and across multiple brands, working on product, marketing, consumer experience and supply chain.
“I am passionate about brands, the consumer and the fashion industry, and throughout my career developed the skills and experience to win in this increasingly competitive market,” Serrano said. “The opportunity to lead the iconic Calvin Klein brand and unlock its full potential across the world is a dream come true.”
It’s not just Serrano’s work life that has been global. She has a bachelor of arts, touristic management from the GETA Business School in Spain and a postgraduate degree from HKU Business School in digital social media marketing. This year she attended a masters, global executive program at Tsinghua University in China and the advanced management leadership program at the Säid Business School at the University of Oxford.
She comes to Calvin Klein at a time of change.
Larsson has been refocusing the company with his PVH+ plan, which zeros in on “hero” products, consumer engagement, online, a demand- and data-driven operating model and efficiencies.
The approach appeared to pay dividends last quarter when Calvin Klein’s revenues were up 1 percent on a reported basis and 9 percent in constant currencies.
But more changes are still coming.
Larsson is transitioning out of the company’s long-standing licensing relationship with G-III Apparel Group and will be taking the wholesale women’s apparel businesses of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger in the U.S. and Canada in-house by 2027.
Those businesses made up about one-third of PVH’s global licensing revenues, which stood at $340 million last year, but less than 10 percent of the company’s earnings before interest and taxes.
