Carolina Herrera Names New President

AS REPORTED By Jessica Iredale OF WWD

Rubinfeld succeeds Francois Kress, who has left the company.

Rubinfeld had previously been its chief marketing officer. Her appointment follows the exit of Chief Executive Officer Francois Kress, first reported by WWD on Jan. 13.

Kress and the company had recently been in the news because of a lawsuit, settled last week, between Carolina Herrera Ltd. and Oscar de la Renta over a non-compete agreement with designer Laura Kim. Through the suit filings, details of company plans to potentially transition out Herrera as head designer were made public. But Herrera, the person, remains and Kress is out. According to a source, the company’s split with Kress stems from issues that preceded the suit. Ironically, Kress is said to be under a non-compete.

A statement from the company confirmed Kress’ departure and named Rubinfeld as his successor, though she does not have the title of chief executive officer. “I am thrilled to have Emilie as president, she is a…proven leader with a deep understanding and passion for the brand as well as a clear vision for our company,” said Herrera in a statement. “Our partnership will lead the company and brand towards an exciting future.”

For her part, Rubinfeld said, “Carolina Herrera has a very bright future ahead. I have been working with Carolina Herrera for many years, she’s our inspiration everyday and the guiding light on our path to success.”

Rubinfeld joined Herrera in 2012 following marketing and communications roles at Giorgio Armani and Akris. This is the first time the Carolina Herrera company has chosen someone from the marketing and communications department as its president. Caroline Brown held the role before Kress, resigning in 2014 before moving to DKNY. Before taking the role at Carolina Herrera, Brown had been CEO of Akris U.S., and before that, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications, U.S., for Giorgio Armani.