Pronovias announced on May 29th, 2023 that Marc Calabia Gibert has been appointed CEO and will take up the role on 1 September 2023.
“I am honoured to have been appointed as CEO of Pronovias. The company has the unique position of global leader in bridal wear, with 101 years of history and great potential to grow further,” said Marc Calabia. “Pronovias has huge depth of expertise, from design through to manufacturing, marketing, and distribution. It is the largest global luxury bridal player and has a reputation for quality that can be scaled around the world. Given the unparalleled heritage, there is huge potential to grow beyond where Pronovias is today, and I am eager to help write the next chapter in Pronovias’ long history”.
“The Pronovias Group created the global bridal industry as we know it, with innovations such as the first mono-brand stores and bridal fashion shows. We will continue to work on innovation and redefining traditions, injecting a twist of fashion into our collections.”
Marc has more than 25 years of fashion and retail leadership experience and joins Pronovias from Springfield (Tendam), where he became Managing Director in 2018. Prior to that, he was Chief Product and Merchandising Officer at Desigual, Vice-Chairman of Sales for Southern Europe at Levi Strauss and Managing Director at The Body Shop, owned by L’Oréal.
Current CEO Amandine Ohayon has decided to start a new professional cycle. Clement Kwan, who has been an advisor to Pronovias since October 2022, and has worked with Amandine on the transition, will become interim CEO effective immediately, and remain in post as a strategic advisor after Marc joins, along with other advisors and board members: Fabrizio Cardinali, who is CEO of Etro and previously global GM at Dolce and Gabbana; Alberto Grignolo, who was General Manager of YOOX and COO of YOOX Net-a-Porter Group (YNAP) for 18 years; and Pronovias Chairman Gianni Serazzi, who was a Director of Richemont Group.
The team will also be strengthened by the appointments of Maria Muntaner as Chief Marketing Officer and Gemma Ruiz as Chief Product and Merchandising Officer, from 1 July.
Maria joins from Thinking Mu, where she was Brand and Marketing Director. A serial entrepreneur, Maria is Co-founder and Board Member of several companies and worked as Brand & Client Director at Desigual. She also spent time working for internationally renowned agencies Publicis and Young & Rubicam.
Gemma will bring international experience from working at Alshaya Group as Buying and Merchandising Director and Bestseller Group China as Buying and Product Director. Having started her career in Pronovias, she has since worked across sourcing, buying and product strategy within global companies such as Desigual and Massimo Dutti.
“Marc is a fantastic appointment as CEO of Pronovias. His very strong leadership capabilities and expertise in the fashion industry gives us confidence that he is the best person to lead the company into this new era,” said Sandro Patti, Partner at Bain Capital. “Pronovias is a market-leading group with a strong future, which we are excited to support going forward. We look forward to working with Marc and his leadership team as he focuses on further growing the Pronovias Group on a global basis. We would also like to thank Amandine for her work.”
“As we embark on a new chapter for Pronovias, we remain committed to upholding our brand’s values and improving the purchasing experience and collections for brides globally. Pronovias has invented the modern bridal market and there are a lot of opportunities for growth and improvement,” said Gianni Serazzi, Chairman of Pronovias Group. “We are confident that our talented team of executives and employees alongside our new shareholders will continue to strengthen the group’s leadership and drive the company to further success.
“We want to take this opportunity to express our deepest appreciation to Amandine who has successfully navigated the biggest crisis experienced by the bridal industry, whilst transforming Pronovias into a modern and diverse organization with an expanded portfolio of luxury brands. Her strong leadership, resilience and energy has been instrumental in driving the group to a new bright era, and we are grateful for her passion, vision, and commitment. She has been a great captain during these years, and we are confident that she will continue to make an impact in whatever path she chooses. We look forward to welcoming Marc, who will continue to build on the strong foundations that Amandine created.”
About Pronovias Group
Headquartered in Barcelona, Pronovias is the global leader in the bridal wear industry, having dressed brides across the globe for over 100 years. The Company operates a sophisticated portfolio of brands including the iconic Pronovias and Nicole, the luxury Atelier Pronovias as well as licensed brands such as Vera Wang Bride and Marchesa. The Group’s bridal and cocktail dresses are sold through a global network of independent retailers, with which it enjoys strong, long-standing relationships across more than 100 countries, and through 95 Pronovias and Nicole stores. Pronovias is known for its unparalleled heritage, outstanding in-house design team and the past collaborations with famous designers such as Elie Saab, Ungaro and Valentino.
The Company has its origins in 1922, with the opening of its first store located in the luxurious Paseo de Gracia, in Barcelona. Alberto Palatchi, the group’s founder, pioneered the idea of developing “prêt-à-porter” in the bridal industry through a combination of unrivalled design expertise, manufacturing, know-how, investment in marketing capabilities, unmatched production scale and a global commercial network. Pronovias’ affordable luxury brands benefit from unparalleled recognition worldwide among brides and independent retailers, which has helped position Pronovias as the only bridal wear company mentioned in Deloitte’s Top 100 Global Powers of Luxury Goods
For further information on the brand, visit Pronovias Group