LONDON — Amandine Ohayon has been named chief executive officer of Stella McCartney and will take up her role on Dec. 1, WWD has learned.
She will be based in London, and report directly to the Stella McCartney board. She replaces Gabriele Maggio, who joined the company four years ago and who will leave next month to pursue other opportunities.
Ohayon was most recently CEO of Pronovias, and spent much of her career in the beauty industry, working with brands including YSL Beauty and Armani Beauty.
She has more than 25 years’ experience in luxury fashion and beauty, helping companies to achieve profitable growth and transforming their businesses.
“Her people-first leadership and brand-building skills combined with her [ability to execute] have been pivotal in the success of brands such as YSL Beauty, Armani Beauty and, more recently, Pronovias,” the McCartney company said in a statement shared exclusively with WWD.
“In her new role at Stella McCartney, she will contribute to elevating the maison and accelerating its development based on its longstanding commitment to sustainable fashion,” the company added.
Designer Stella McCartney said Ohayon’s “leadership and wealth of experience across businesses and geographies will be strong assets to build a brilliant future for the company. Her passion for great fashion and ethical values makes her a great partner in our quest to champion a sustainable way to business success.”
Ohayon said the Stella McCartney brand “epitomizes sustainable luxury and ethical fashion. Together with Stella, we will continue to redefine the industry, championing innovation, while accelerating the company’s growth with a conscious approach that resonates with our values.”
She is a graduate of France’s ESSEC business school, and holds an MBA in luxury. Her most senior job in beauty was as managing director of the L’Oréal Luxe division for the U.K. and Ireland.
She left L’Oréal in 2018 to join Pronovias as CEO. There, she worked on industry partnerships such a 10-year license agreement with Vera Wang, and managed the sale of Pronovias to Bain Capital earlier this year.
She made sustainability a priority at Pronovias.
On her watch, the company released Second Life, an initiative that sees Pronovias release dresses designed specifically to be altered, free of charge, and worn again after the wedding.
The first launch consisted of more than 50 bridal gowns that could be converted by altering the length, eliminating sleeves and adding belts, straps, sashes and other details to create a new look. The number of dresses in the collection has increased with each new season.
In 2021, Pronovias launched a sustainable initiative called We Do Eco. The dresses are made from luxury eco fabrics and trims. Pronovias also works with Brides Do Good, the e-commerce platform that sells brides’ pre-loved wedding dresses and out-of-season stock and samples from brands.
