Mondottica: new investor and CEO
Mondottica International has announced that, effective January 11, 2010, it will welcome a new investor and Chief Executive Officer.
Bernhard Nuesser, a resident of Switzerland, will assume the newly created role and report to company Chairman Michael Jardine. He will be based between Mondottica’s main offices in Hong Kong and Nottingham. In addition he has purchased a substantial minority interest that will result in an equity increase in the company.
Nuesser, most recently the CEO of the Bata Shoe Group in Europe, is no stranger to the optical industry, having previously spent five years as CEO of Vision Express in the U.K. Prior to that he oversaw the Grand Vision Group’s International Optical Brand in ten European and South American markets.
According to Michael Jardine, “The continuous growth of the company I founded has created a need for a level of management depth that was outside of my experience. It is time to bring in the big guns. We have had great experience with Bernhard in the past as he worked to grow companies we know and respect and I am personally thrilled that I, together with my management team, will have the opportunity to work with him as we bring Mondottica to the next level. Additionally, his experience in retail markets brings much to our mix of skill sets and will help us continually improve our offering to those we serve – the optical retailer.”
Bernhard Nuesser said, “Mondottica is a young company that has risen quickly to a respected position as a global eyewear company. I have had firsthand experience of their dedication to innovation, quality and service in the past and I am looking forward to a long and fruitful association as we work together to solidify and build on Mondottica’s reputation as a key strategic partner for great brands and great retailers alike.”
Headquartered in Hong Kong, Mondottica International is majority controlled by Chairman Michael Jardine and has operations the U.K., France, and Asia, as well as a distributor and retailer network that span six continents. It licenses and distributes the Ted Baker and Lulu Guinness brands in all world markets except North America, Pepe Jeans in all world markets except Spain, and Anna Sui, Hackett, and Gio-Goi eyewear collections globally.
