Vera Bradley names former Cath Kidston CEO as chief brand officer

Accessory specialist Vera Bradley has named Melinda Paraie as its new chief brand officer. Paraie, who has already been working with the company in a strategic consulting role for six months, will take up her new position from November 1, 2025.

Prior to becoming a strategic advisor, Paraie had served as chief executive officer of Cath Kidston between 2018 to 2023. During this period, Paraie oversaw the brand through its digital transformation, the pandemic and its eventual sale.

She had also been chief merchandising officer at John Hardy for one year after being with Tapestry-owned brand Coach for over 10 years. Here, she held a variety of leadership roles, the last being senior vice president of merchandising for North America.

Speaking on the appointment, Vera Bradley’s executive chairman, Ian Bickley, said Paraie was joining the company at a “pivotal moment as we implement our comprehensive strategy to revitalise our market position”. Bickley said Paraie’s experience made her “ideally suited to help drive our integrated approach to product innovation, strategic merchandising, and targeted marketing”.

During her time as strategic advisor to the brand, Bickley noted that Paraie had “already made significant contributions to our design and merchandising initiatives”. He added: "We are thrilled to formalise this partnership by welcoming her as our chief brand officer, a key leadership role as we execute our strategy to strengthen our market position and deepen consumer engagement."