Wolford: Ralf Polito to succeed Paul Kotrba as director of operations
Ralf Polito, aged 47 was appointed by the Wolford AG supervisory board as a member of the executive board for a two-year term starting July 1, 2023. As chief operating officer, or COO, he will be in charge of the supply chain and production, legal, investor relations, IT and digital, and will lead the company jointly with Silvia Azzali, the current CCO.
Ralf Polito succeeds Paul Kotrba, who stepped in as interim COO in August, following the departure of Andrew Thorndike, who left the hoisery specialist in July.
Ralf Polito previously worked for Austrian high-end shirt brand Eterna, where he held the position of director of operations since late 2018. Prior to that, he worked for lingerie brand Triumph, among others, but also for Hugo Boss, as indicated on his Linkedin profile .
In the first half of the year, Wolford improved its revenue by 29.4% to 54.3 million euros, while its earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT), fell by 14.4%, generating a loss of 16.9 million euros due to "high inflation-related costs." Nevertheless, the company has "made progress in brand positioning" and expects "a stabilization of the positive sales trend for the whole year."
After collaborating with Alberta Ferretti, GCDS and Mugler, the Austrian textile company recently launched a capsule collection with the Italian luxury shoe brand Sergio Rossi.
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