Bonobos announced the appointment of its new CEO, according to a press release. Francine Della Badia will succeed current CEO Andy Dunn who is stepping up as executive chairman, effective June 1.
“After two years of thinking about this transition and five years of getting to know Fran, I am thrilled to introduce her as our next CEO. Her proven leadership capabilities and incredibily strong retail experience make her uniquely qualified for this position,” said Dunn in the press release. “For the past eight years I’ve been serving dual roles as CEO and chairman. As the company scales rapidly, it became increasingly clear that these jobs need dedicated attention. By being focused on chairman and hiring a great CEO with complementary experience, we can lead this remarkable team into the next era.”
Since launching online in 2007, Bonobos has grown from web-only, singular product line business in a multichannel, multi-brand company offering a range of products and labels. Bonobos has also expanded into other brands within the last two-and-a-half years launching the women’s line, AYR and golf brand, Maide.
As the assortment expands, new channels are amplifying growth. In 2011 the company reinvented the offline retailer experience with its Guideshop, its ecommerce store. In the last year, the company has doubled its door count and is on pace to have 20 Guideshops by the end of 2015. These Guideshops enable customers to get fitted in-person, and placed ecommerce transactions with one-to-one service from Bonobos Guides. The company has also partnered with Nordstrom in 2012 and is now one of the leading men’s bands with distribution in all 118 doors.
“I feel fortunate to inherit a company with very compelling brands and strong momentum that is poised for continued growth,” said Della Badia. “Andy is a remarkable entrepreneur and innovator who has successfully reinvented how a clothing brand is created in the digital age. During the past eight years he has established an extremely loyal Bonobos following and developed an incredible team. I feel privileged and excited to lead this industry pioneer into its next phase of growth.”
Della Badia brings more than 20 years experience in the retail and merchandise field to Bonobos. She most recently served as the president of North America Retail for Coach. With Della Badia overseeing operations of the company, Dunn will serve as a partner to Della Badia, continue to lead the board and be the company’s spokesperson.
“Andy has been carefully planning this move for years and in Fran, he found the partner he’s been seeking to take the company to the next level,” said Sameer Gandhi, Bonobos Inc., board member and partner at venture firm Accel Partners. “Fran’s excellence in focus, scale and execution combined with Andy’s creativity and insight will set an even higher standard for a company has already brought transformational ideas to bear in the interplay between apparel and ecommerce.
In April, Bonobos was the winner of Multichannel Merchant’s Excellence in Customer Experience Awards at Operations Summit 2015.