In the almost six months since joining Sergio Rossi as its chief executive officer last November, Helen Wright — the second female top executive the company has ever had — has looked to bring her sensibility, background and “professional intelligence” to the luxury footwear firm.
“My working style is very hands-on. I aim to generate passion and kinetic energy within our teams, whether I’m in an intense financial planning session, at the design table or brainstorming on the digital evolution of the brand — we’re testing, learning and evolving as we go,” she offered.
That approach has been part of her leadership style throughout her 25-plus-year career in the industry.
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The Australia-born fashion veteran began at department store group David Jones, where she held several executive positions across retail, operations and merchandise for more than 10 years. After relocating to London in 1999, she held management roles at Ralph Lauren, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton as president of Europe, the Middle East and India at Fendi, and global vice president of retail at Karl Lagerfeld.
In 2015, she was named CEO of London-based accessories brand Anya Hindmarch, before joining heritage outerwear company Belstaff in 2018. Prior to joining Sergio Rossi, she served as CEO of Bloch International, an Australia-based technical dance footwear and apparel company.
At the time of her appointment, the Lanvin Group-owned footwear brand — which in 2023 logged sales of 59.5 million euros, down 4 percent versus a year earlier — said Wright was tasked with spearheading a “strategic transformation of the house,” focusing on collection content, the optimization of distribution channels, brand visibility and execution, furthering the shoe label’s footprint in key markets such as North America, the United Arab Emirates, Japan and Greater China.
Wright’s early ambition has been to connect with the teams and eagerly empower them to build the foundations for growth and development.
“An early priority for me is to deeply engage with Sergio Rossi teams and operations — from the Milan headquarters, the design studio and our factory operation, to our regional hubs and retail or wholesale locations across the globe — to learn about this remarkable brand, its people, its storytelling, its creative language and to listen to its heartbeat,” Wright offered.
“Sergio Rossi is a house founded — by a man! — on the vision of ultimate beauty and creativity in women’s shoes. Our mission then, as it is now, is the creation of exquisite, innovative and highly wearable footwear for a modern woman of the world,” she said.
A version of this article appeared in the June 3 print issue of FN, as part of the “Women Who Rock” special section. On June 5, FN and Two Ten Footwear Foundation honored these women at a live event in New York City.
