Esprit Names New Leader

Esprit Holdings Limited (Hong Kong) appointed Jose Manuel Martinez Gutierrez (“Mr. Martinez”) as its new group ceo and executive director, effective next month. He replaces outgoing executive Ronald Van Der Vis, who resigned unexpectedly a few months ago.

“Mr. Martinez has a track record of outstanding leadership that will be critical to executing Esprit's transformation plan,” says Raymond Or, non-executive chairman of Esprit. “He is passionate about continuing the work to revitalize Esprit's brand, and brings with him a unique perspective built from within the fashion retailing business, and during his many years as a consultant to our industry.”

His career includes various senior positions at Inditex, most recently as group director of distribution and operations. Prior to this role, he was the country manager for the Zara brand across Scandinavia.

Esprit operates more than 1000 directly managed retail stores worldwide and distributes its products via more than 11,000 wholesale locations internationally.