Malone Souliers names Blahnik, Vuitton and Lauren veteran as its new CEO

British luxury shoes and bags label Malone Souliers has a new CEO with Andrew Wright, who joins with a powerful track record, taking the helm.

Wright has spent eight years at another luxury British brand also specialising in footwear and bags — the globally known Manolo Blahnik.

While there he held the executive posts of global chief commercial officer and most recently, president of the Americas. Understandably, his new company said he’ll “bring a wealth of business expertise, leadership and strategic insight to Malone Souliers”.

The time spent at Manolo Blahnik was just one aspect of his distinguished career with that career stretching back 30 years. He started at Ralph Lauren, where he spent over a decade developing international sales and product merchandising strategies.

After that he held roles including at Louis Vuitton as global merchandising & business development director and global retail learning director. In these roles he “made a lasting impact by shaping both product assortment and talent development strategies, driving operational excellence across all international markets”. 

After Louis Vuitton, he was a retail excellence consultant to British footwear brand Nicholas Kirkwood.

But particularly important is his extensive knowledge of the US market, as well as his “proven dedication to brand building, and strong commercial acumen [that] make him the optimal appointment to guide Malone Souliers into its next phase of growth and innovation”.

The company is targeting growth in the key US market as well as internationally in general and will open a new office and showroom in New York this month.

Mary Alice Malone, founder and chief brand director, said: “I am beyond thrilled to welcome Andrew Wright as our new CEO . His exceptional leadership experience, global perspective, and deep industry knowledge will be instrumental as we continue to expand our presence and strengthen our brand worldwide.”