Hunter, the British boot brand, appointed Paolo Porta as CEO. He has been holding the position on an interim basis since replacing Vincent Wauters in June 2020.
Prior to joining Hunter, Porta had been senior vice president of merchandising and licensing at Jimmy Choo.
He has previously held roles across merchandising, retail, wholesale distribution, brand development, and licensing at luxury houses including Christian Dior, Stella McCartney and Burberry.
During his time at Hunter, the company said Porta has steered it through the challenges of COVID-19. Under Porta’s leadership, from the last quarter of 2020 to date, Hunter saw a 94 percent increase in e-commerce sales in the UK.
Andrew Lawley, chairman of Hunter and operating partner of Atypical Partner, which owns a majority stake in Hunter via its secondary investment arm Pall Mall Legacy, said: “Paolo brings considerable experience in global lifestyle brands and has led the business with calm clarity and decisiveness through the uncertainty created by the pandemic. I am absolutely delighted that he has agreed to take on the CEO role permanently to build on a very strong 2020 result”.
Porta now plans to sharpen Hunter’s brand identity, prioritize direct-to-consumer channels and diversify its wholesale distribution network.
In recent months, Hunter hired Sandra Romboli as global design director from Decathlon, Reebok and Adidas, and Claudia Plant as chief marketing officer from Burberry and Net a Porter.
“The potential at Hunter is enormous and I am excited to work with the talented team here to deliver our plans to transform it into a global brand which blends fashion, innovation and creativity with form and functionality,” Porta said. “This is just the beginning for what I know will be an incredibly promising and stimulating next chapter in Hunter’s esteemed story.”
Photo courtesy Hunter
