AWWG names Laura Fernandez Plaza as CEO
Global fashion group, AWWG, which includes Pepe Jeans London, Hackett London, and Façonnable, has appointed Laura Fernandez Plaza as its new chief executive, succeeding Marcella Wartenbergh, who is stepping down after seven years in the role.
Fernandez Plaza, formerly the group’s chief financial and business officer, will assume her new role as CEO immediately, and will work closely with Wartenbergh in the coming weeks “to ensure a smooth transition”.
Commenting on her appointment, Fernandez Plaza said in a statement: “I am honoured to step into the CEO role at such an important moment for AWWG. Over the past years, we have built a strong and differentiated platform across all our portfolio brands, operational excellence, digitalisation, and culture.
“I see a significant opportunity ahead and look forward to working closely with our teams to build on this momentum as we enter our next phase of growth.”
Fernandez Plaza joined AWWG in 2006 and has held several key leadership positions, including chief transformation officer and chief finance director, before serving as chief financial and business officer for the last 6 years, and has worked closely with Wartenbergh and the executive team in implementing the group’s strategic priorities and strengthening the company’s operational foundations.
Carlos Ortega, chairman of AWWG, added: “We are very happy to appoint Laura as CEO. Her long-standing trajectory within the company and her key role in our transformation journey make her the natural choice to lead AWWG into its next phase of growth.
“On behalf of the Board, I would also like to express my deepest thanks to Marcella for her outstanding leadership and dedication. She has built a resilient, disciplined, and high-performing platform that is widely admired in the industry, guiding the Group through a period of profound transformation with clarity and determination.”
During Wartenbergh’s seven-year tenure, she led a comprehensive transformation of the AWWG business, redefining the group’s strategic direction and strengthening its foundations across all aspects of the business. In 2020, she launched the ‘Reset’ strategic transformation programme, establishing the group’s five strategic priorities: Product, Brand, Distribution, Digitalisation, and People, which the group states has guided them into a “more focused, disciplined, and globally scalable platform”.