Manolo Blahnik Taps New Chief Commercial Officer

Samantha Conti
·3 min read
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LONDON – With an eye on ramping up business in the Asia Pacific region, Manolo Blahnik has named former La Perla and Boucheron executive Elodie Bougenault chief commercial officer.

She’ll take up her post on Monday.

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Bougenault will succeed Andrew Wright, who took on the additional role of president of the Americas in 2019 when the brand relaunched in the region.

The London-based company said it hired Bougenault “to drive the strategic plan globally” with a particular focus on Asia, where the brand has big ambitions.

She will be responsible for delivering and executing the global commercial direction of the brand across wholesale, retail, and digital channels, and establishing a “strong voice” in new and existing markets.

She has more than 20 years’ experience in luxury fashion and fine jewelry, and has specialized in brand building, omnichannel business development and “retail excellence” at a variety of luxury and fashion brands.

She was previously managing director of EMEA and head of retail operations worldwide at the Italian luxury lingerie brand La Perla, where she restructured the company and restored the EMEA region to profitability.

Prior to La Perla, Bougenault was Asia Pacific managing director at Boucheron in Hong Kong. She led the China and Asia Pacific strategy for retail, travel retail, wholesale and digital, part of the company’s global turnaround strategy.

In total, Bougenault spent more than a decade in the APAC market and also worked with the Kate Spade and Marc Jacobs brands. Prior to moving to the APAC region, she worked with Louis Vuitton and LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton Holdings.

Wright will remain with the company “and focus permanently on delivering the significant long-term growth plans for the Americas.”

These include new stores in both the East and West Coasts of the brand’s largest market, the U.S., as well as exploring future opportunities in Central and South America.

Kristina Blahnik, chief executive officer of Manolo Blahnik, said Bougenault’s knowledge of the Asia market “will help us explore and plan the exciting new opportunities that winning our 22-year IP court case in the Supreme People’s Court of China last year has opened up.”

Blahnik added that with Bougenault’s “global commercial view on the Manolo Blahnik business and Andrew’s focus on the Americas, we now have the solid foundations in place to continue to deliver our long-term commercial strategic plan.”

As reported, the brand’s Chinese dispute was resolved in July 2022 following a 22-year legal battle.

The Supreme People’s Court of China, the highest court in the country, invalidated an unlawful trademark dating back to 2000 that incorporated the name of Manolo Blahnik.

The ruling means the company can now use its name, and sell its footwear offerings, to customers across mainland China, and in Hong Kong and Taipei.

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