INEOS today announces the appointment of Robin Hutson as Chairman of Belstaff
Helen Wright is appointed CEO of Belstaff
Following the recent INEOS acquisition of the iconic British brand Belstaff, Robin Hutson has been appointed as non-executive Chairman of the business. Robin Hutson is currently CEO and Chairman of Lime Wood Group and Home Grown Hotels of which Jim Ratcliffe is a major owner shareholder. Robin is a past chairman of Soho House Limited.
Helen Wright is appointed CEO of Belstaff, after a long career in luxury fashion brand management including senior roles at Anya Hindmarch, Karl Lagerfeld, LVMH/Fendi and Ralph Lauren.
Gavin Haig, the current CEO of Belstaff, will step down by mutual consent with immediate effect.
Robin Hutson, Chairman of Belstaff says, “INEOS is excited at the acquisition of this iconic British brand and sees great potential to revitalise and grow the business. There is enormous depth of talent and passion within the Belstaff management team and the company’s long standing and valued suppliers. We aim to support and empower this talent with the required level of investment over the years ahead.”
Robin continues: “Helen has over 25 years of luxury and lifestyle brand experience, and I am hugely excited that she is joining the business. We would also like to thank her predecessor, Gavin, for his dedication and commitment to Belstaff over the last four years in building a stronger brand and company.”
Sarah Doukas will also join the Belstaff Board. Sarah is the founder of Storm Management, one of the world’s top modelling agencies, which she has managed for the last 30 years.
INEOS completed the acquisition of the Belstaff Group from JAB Luxury GmbH, on the 30th November. The iconic, British brand, with close to 100 years of heritage, is now back under British ownership.
ENDS
Media contacts
Richard Longden (INEOS) 0041 21 627 7063 or 0041 7996 26123
Andrew McLachlan (Media Zoo) 020 7384 6980 or 07931 377162
Joseph Wade (Media Zoo) 020 7284 6980 or 07758 074576
Holly Robinson (Belstaff) 0203 205 2946 or 07769977111
Note to Editors
Robin Hutson is an innovative and entrepreneurial hotelier with 40 years’ experience in some of the world’s most famous hotels. In 1994 he co-founded the hugely influential Hotel du Vin group. He was Non Exec Director, then Executive Chairman alongside Nick Jones at Soho House Group for 14 years. He is now CEO and Chairman of Lime Wood Group http://www.limewoodgroup.co.uk and Home Grown Hotels http://www.thepighotel.com of which Jim Ratcliffe is owner and major shareholder. Lime Wood Group comprises the five-star Lime Wood hotel, one of the top UK country house hotels consistently leading the field. His latest venture The Pig in its short existence has already been much lauded as a mould breaker in the country house sector.
Helen Wright is an international fashion, lifestyle and luxury brand leader with over 25 years of industry experience in senior executive positions at: Anya Hindmarch, Karl Lagerfeld, Fendi, Bamford and Ralph Lauren. She has extensive experience in the entrepreneurial and corporate sectors. As CEO at Anya Hindmarch she executed an important new phase in global expansion across all channels of distribution with a focus on the development and profitability and the development of the e-commerce platform and online operations. At Karl Lagerfeld as Global Vice President Retail, she partnered with investors in a global rollout of the brand via a new Retail store concept across key international fashion capitals. Helen was President EMEI at LVMH/Fendi leading regional distribution, merchandising and marketing activities for the luxury Italian heritage brand and prior to that she was SVP Ralph Lauren Europe where she led European Retail and Merchandising divisions, during a significant expansion phase for the company.
Sarah Doukas founded Storm https://www.stormmanagement.com/ in 1987 by. The company has over 30 years’ experience discovering and developing the careers of some of fashion’s most iconic faces, including Kate Moss, Cindy Crawford, Cara & Poppy Delevingne and Eva Herzigova. 1988 is seen as the year Storm changed fashion when Sarah spotted Kate Moss at New York airport. Today, Storm Management comprises three Divisions: Storm Models, Storm Artists and Storm Vision, managing talent across the fields of Modelling, Special Bookings and Digital Talent.