After a 15-year “love affair”, CEO Philip Mountford is leaving lingerie chain Hunkemöller. The underwear brand is renewing its management under new ownership.
A fresh start after Covid
Mountford will be leaving Hunkemöller on 31 January, having led the lingerie chain for fifteen years. Although it has been “the most enjoyable time of his professional career”, and even – in his own words – “a love affair”, the Brit is handing over to a new CEO, he announced himself on LinkedIn.
The company has not yet revealed who will be taking over. It is worth noting, however, that there have already been several changes at the head of the company this year. In February, Nick Grensham became Chief Financial Officer and a member of the Board of Directors. In 8 March, Samantha Swain was appointed Director of Global Merchandise and Planning.
Under Mountford’s leadership, Hunkemöller has grown from 350 shops in the Benelux countries and France to almost 1,000 shops in more than twenty countries. The chain now has an “ultra-fast omnichannel ecosystem”, according to the outgoing CEO. During the Covid crisis, however, the group fell on hard times and even almost went bankrupt. In March 2022, the chain passed into the hands of two new Dutch owners, who may well want to start afresh.
