Former Fendi CEO to take the helm at Jil Sander

Sergio Brunschwig, former Fendi CEO and LVMH veteran has been appointed CEO of Jil Sander and Chief Strategy Officer of OTB Group.

Brunschwig was CEO of Fendi for six years, and announced his departure from owner LVMH after three decades at the business.

OTB Group, which owns Jil Sander, Diesel, Maison Margiela, Marni and Viktor & Rolf, reported a €1.9 billion (£1.6 billion) turnover in 2023, 33.8% direct channel growth and 610 direct stores worldwide.

Jil Sander is currently creatively ruddered by husband and wife team Luke and Lucie Meier, reported 17.3% growth in the same financial year. It is rumoured that Burberry Chief Creative Officer Daniel Lee may be taking over as Creative Director at the minimalist German house.

A graduate of Paris' École Polytechnique, Brunschwig joined LVMH in 1995, holding various roles at Louis Vuitton and Sephora in Asia and France before being promoted to become Chairman and CEO of Céline in 2006.

In 2008, he was named Chief Operating Officer of Dior Couture, being promoted to Chairman and CEO of Dior Homme in 2015. In 2018, he relocated to Rome to take the reigns at Fendi.

In a statement, OTB Group CEO Ubaldo Minelli said: “In his role as CEO of Jil Sander, Serge will aim to further elevate the positioning of this brand with invaluable potential, carefully and strategically guiding its growth trajectory. Thanks to his experience and international vision, he will also contribute to defining an even more ambitious strategic path for OTB.”

Whilst still at Fendi, Brunschwig told Vogue Business: “In luxury, I think there are two very important aspects. The first is to understand who you are and who you have always been…. But then, what is just as important is the capacity to surprise. To be more of the same but never the same. Because the cemeteries are full of brands that did not have that capacity and are not here any more.”