MILAN — After tapping Cecilia Schena as chief marketing officer last week, Kiko Milano is constant to strengthen its global leadership team by naming Shelagh Wong its regional managing director for North America.

Effective immediately, the appointment signals the Italian beauty brand’s commitment to setting a stage for a robust comeback within the American market. Reporting on to Kiko Milano’s chief executive officer Simone Dominici, Wong shall be tasked with supporting the expansion plan within the region via an acceleration of the brand’s omnichannel strategy. 

As reported, the American arm of the brand filed for bankruptcy in the beginning of 2018, closing nearly all of its 29 retail locations within the U.S. The reorganization was a part of an even bigger, global plan implemented under Dominici’s predecessor Cristina Scocchia and aimed toward redefining the corporate’s geographic footprint with strong investments eastward in markets in Asia, India and the Middle East.

Meanwhile, the brand put a heightened deal with its e-commerce, in addition to on enhancing its presence on Ulta’s and Amazon’s digital platforms, which propelled a robust jump in the general online sales of the corporate. Kiko Milano kept just two physical units in Miami, but with this online push the brand is “regaining some respect out there, and that’s leaving us room to be a bit of bit more optimistic in regards to the future strategy,” Dominici said in an interview with WWD last yr.

Wong counts years of experience in international firms in the sweetness and retail sectors. Most recently, she was general manager for the Elaluz and Smith & Cult brands at Luxury Brand Partners, an American company that develops prestigious beauty brands, which she joined in 2020. There she implemented a industrial strategy focused on repositioning the labels and strengthening the partnership with Ulta beauty, which accelerated a growth in turnover.

Previously, Wong was vice chairman Asia Pacific and travel retail at Korres Skincare, where she led the launch of the Greek brand within the Chinese market through a deal with franchising and the optimization of its digital presence on Tmall.com. 

Before that, in 2013 she joined The Estée Lauder Cos. Inc., assuming the role of international business operations director, leading the event and expansion of emerging markets. In 2017, following the acquisition of Becca Cosmetics by the corporate, she was promoted to global industrial strategy and international business development executive director, contributing to the acceleration of the industrial development of that brand.

Established in 1997 by entrepreneurs Antonio and Stefano Percassi, Kiko Milano is controlled by Percassi’s Odissea Srl holding and generated sales of 671 million euros in 2022, up 41.6 percent versus the previous yr and beating the outcomes of its best yr in 2017, when the group generated sales of 610 million euros. 

The corporate has greater than 1,000 stores in 40 countries and sells its products in greater than 62 markets.

Last yr, the founding family bought back the 38 percent stake private equity fund Peninsula Capital had held within the firm since first investing in the corporate in 2018 through an 80 million euro capital increase.