More Than 300 OTB Managers Cut Their Salaries to Support Colleagues in the Pandemic Emergency
TEAM EFFORT: Following the example offered by the company’s founder Renzo Rosso, who a few months ago decided to wave 50 percent of his remuneration until the end of 2020, more than 300 OTB managers agreed to reduce their annual salary by a range of 10 to 45 percent depending on their position.
This is not the first measure adopted by the fashion group’s managers, who at the beginning of the global pandemic created the “Brave OTB Solidarity Fund,” where OTB executives voluntarily donated a minimum of five of their contractual paid leave days to support employees impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, they raised an equivalent of 500,000 euros, which has being used to integrate the salaries of the employees subjected to wage support measures.
The Italian fashion group, which controls Diesel, Marni, Maison Margiela and Viktor & Rolf, through its OTB Foundation recently launched the second round of its “Brave Actions for a Better World” charity initiative, which first debuted in 2019 to mark the association’s 10th anniversary.
Open to any Italian nonprofit organizations, the initiative pledges to donate 200,000 euros to fund projects aimed at fighting poverty, supporting employment and access to health care and education. The OTB Foundation also asks applicants to submit projects that fall within the UN’s sustainable development goals.
During the pandemic, the OTB Foundation donated almost 1 million PPEs, including surgical masks; filter masks; scrubs; shoe covers, and hand-sanitizing gels to around 100 Italian hospitals, retirement homes and other Italy-based organizations. In addition, the foundation sourced and distributed 30 sophisticated air cleaners, conceived by NASA and usually employed in space missions, 50 helmets for breathing assistance, 80 full face masks and several iPads, enabling patients to remain connected with their families.
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