The Pronovias bridal fashion group changes its CEO as part of the new phase promoted by the current ownership of the firm, led by Bain Capital. Marc Calabia Gibert will assume the position effectively as of September 1, 2023, replacing Amandine Ohayon, who is leaving the company with immediate effect to undertake new professional projects, as highlighted by Pronovias.
Clement Kwan, an advisor to the group since October 2022, and who has worked with Amandine in the transition, assumes the role of acting CEO and, once Marc Calabia joins, will continue with the group as strategic advisor.
Calabia has a long history in the textile and fashion sector. He comes to Prononvias from Springfield (Tendam), where he became General Manager in 2018. Previously, he was Product and Merchandising Manager at Desigual, Vice President of Sales for Southern Europe at Levi Strauss and General Manager at The Body Shop, owned by L'Oreal.
"It is an honor for me to have been appointed CEO of the Pronovias Group. The company has a unique position as a world leader in bridal fashion, with 101 years of history and great potential to continue growing," explained Marc Calabia in a statement released by Pronovias.
Ohayon joined Pronovias in 2018 after the sale of the firm to the BC Partners fund. It had to face a very complicated situation, with a large debt and delicate financial situation that was aggravated by the pandemic and that ended up precipitating the takeover of the company by creditors in December 2022 after a debt conversion process. in capital.
Pronovias sales in 2022 reached 150 million euros, thus approaching the 160 million of 2019. This is a 40% increase compared to the 2021 financial year, still greatly impacted by the pandemic and the decline in weddings . The company's objective is to consolidate its recovery this year and undertake a new expansion plan from 2024 with a special focus on the United States.
The signing of Calabia is part of this process of change, which includes new appointments of profiles from luxury and experience in the sector. Among the advisors and directors are Fabrizio Cardinali, CEO of Etro and formerly CEO of Dolce
Likewise, the Pronovias management team will be strengthened as of July 1 with the appointments of María Muntaner as Marketing Director and Gemma Ruiz as Product and Merchandising Director. Muntaner comes from Thinking Mu, where she held the position of director of brand and marketing. She was also director of brand and clients at Desigual.
For her part, Gemma Ruiz will bring international experience thanks to her career as purchasing and merchandising director at Alshaya Group and as purchasing and product director at Bestseller Group China. She began her career at Pronovias and since then has held positions in the areas of procurement, purchasing, and product strategy at international companies such as Desigual and Massimo Dutti.
