Design Holding names Daniel Lalonde as chief executive

Former SMCP president and chief executive Daniel Lalonde has been named as Design Holding’s new chief executive officer and will join the company in October 2021.

Lalonde has a track record of establishing brands as global leaders, especially in the high-end consumer space, and while Design Holding, a leader in the high-end design market isn’t in fashion, it does have fashion ties with a new joint venture with Fendi to develop the Italian brand’s Fendi Casa furniture.

“I am extremely excited to join Design Holding,” said Lalonde in a press statement. “I look forward to harnessing the power of Design Holding’s brands and the many growth opportunities that lie ahead, including the recent focus on direct e-commerce and digitalisation, the shift to a consumer-centric mindset and the ambition set for the recently launched joint venture with Fendi.”

Lalonde has been tasked with leading the company into its next stage of growth, including the continued international expansion of the business, development of its multi-channel proposition and its shift toward an increasingly direct-to-consumer distribution strategy.

For the last seven years, Lalonde has been in charge of SMCP, the French group that includes Sandro, Maje, Claudie Pierlot and De Fursac, and has been responsible for leading the company’s successful listing on the Euronext Paris and overseeing a period of exceptional growth.

Previously, Lalonde served as president of Ralph Lauren International and held senior leadership roles at LVMH, as president and chief executive of Möet et Chandon and Dom Perignon worldwide, and president and chief executive of Louis Vuitton North America. He was also credited with helping grow Nespresso from a startup company into a successful global brand acting both as chief executive North America and global chief operating officer.

Marco De Benedetti, managing director and co-head of Carlyle Europe Partners and Andrea C. Bonomi, founder and chairman of the Industrial Advisory Board of Investindustrial, said on behalf of the shareholders: “We are pleased that Daniel has joined Design Holding at this important moment in the Group’s history. He brings a wealth of experience and an exceptional track record that makes him the ideal candidate to lead Design Holding as it embarks on the next phase of its growth.”

Design Holding features several high-end design brands including B&B Italia, Flos, Louis Poulsen, Arclinea and the US e-commerce platform YDesign. Gabriele Del Torchio will continue as non-executive chairman of Design Holding.