Nicola Zotta
Como
Summary
Seasoned executive with a proven track record at Marchon Eyewear, adept in strategic visioning and organizational agility. Spearheaded digital transformations and financial growth, achieving a 30% sales increase and significant profit growth. Skilled in talent development and corporate governance, demonstrating a strong financial acumen and commitment to excellence.
Overview
29
29
years of professional experience
Work History
CEO
ARTSANA
Grandate
01.2022 - 01.2024
- Company Overview: Founded in 1946 by Pietro Catelli, Artsana is a leading global consumer goods company focused on baby care products through brands such as Chicco, Boppy and Fiocchi di Riso
- Chicco, one of the most iconic baby care brands, is distributed in more than 100 countries through a network of 15 owned subsidiaries, 120+ distributors and 200+ monobrand retail locations, with revenues in excess of €500m
- Artsana also operates a separate retail division of 500+ stores through the banners Prenatal and Toys Center, generating revenues of €800m
- In 2024 the Group employed approx
- 6.500 people and achieved €1.35b in revenues
- Responsibility includes consolidated Group results and direct operations of the Babycare division, €600m in revenues with 2.000 employees, reporting to Artsana’s board
- Main Achievements: executed Baby Care agreed Transformation Plan aimed at refocusing and simplifying operations toward a leaner Chicco, resulting in total revenues down €130m, Ebitda up €5m (from 5% to 7%), Fixed and Personnel costs down €45m and €130m in Net Debt reduction
- Generated proceeds in excess of €150m through divestitures of non core assets such as Goovi and Recaro and several real estate properties to serve Net Debt reduction
- Unwound loss making units such as Recaro license and Diapers business unit
- Transformed go to market from loss making directly operated subsidiaries in UK, Japan, China mainland, Brasil to third party distributorship; merged France and Belgium and Spain and Portugal into one single entity to streamline operations and gain efficiency
- Outsourced Juvenile manufacturing after make/buy analysis resulting in discontinuation of finishing in Italy and divestiture of Romanian plant (textile components)
- Rightsized HQ organization by 20% (90 headcount reduction)
- Rationalized DOS footprint in Italy and Iberia closing 10+ non performing locations and converting 10+ to franchising
- Improved Gross Margin by 1.5% in key core categories through design to cost and key vendors partnership
- Repowered Chicco Masterbrand through new positioning and enhanced design and technology product offerings
- Pushed innovation in toiletries across brand portfolio to extend age group utilization opportunities to children and adults
- Implemented new CRM & e-com strategy powered by Salesforce
- Focused growth strategy through Local for Local sourcing in 'Demography +' countries such as India, Middle East and South East Asia
- Recovered US profitability after collapse of biggest account (buybuyBABY, accounting for 1/3 of total company Ebitda)
- Founded in 1946 by Pietro Catelli, Artsana is a leading global consumer goods company focused on baby care products through brands such as Chicco, Boppy and Fiocchi di Riso
- Chicco, one of the most iconic baby care brands, is distributed in more than 100 countries through a network of 15 owned subsidiaries, 120+ distributors and 200+ monobrand retail locations, with revenues in excess of €500m
- Artsana also operates a separate retail division of 500+ stores through the banners Prenatal and Toys Center, generating revenues of €800m
- In 2024 the Group employed approx
- 6.500 people and achieved €1.35b in revenues
President&CEO
Marchon Eyewear
New York
01.2016 - 01.2022
- Company Overview: Marchon is the third largest eyewear manufacturer of frames and sunglasses worldwide, with yearly volumes of about 20M units
- Headquartered in Long Island, NY, Marchon distributes its products in over 80 countries through a network of 22 subsidiaries and 80 distributors
- Its brand portfolio includes 20+ licensed brands (Nike, Calvin Klein, Lacoste, Chloe, Ferragamo, Longchamp, etc.) and six proprietary brands
- Since 2008, Marchon is fully owned by VSP Vision, the second largest integrated player in the Vision-Eyewear industry that operates 5 Business Lines: Insurance, Eyewear, Optics (prescription lenses), Practice Solutions (software) and Retail (750 stores)
- VSP has achieved net sales of $6.5B in 2019 and has about 17.500 employees, 20% of which are part of Marchon
- VSP is organized as a private, not for profit organization
- Responsibility includes full P&L of Global Eyewear division, $700M in revenues and 3.000 employees (2021), reporting to VSP Vision CEO
- Main Achievements: executed business turnaround through newly implemented efficiency measures, process redesign and reorganization coupled with industry fastest revenue growth among peers, amid Covid turbulences
- Ebitda grew from break-even (2016) to $70m (2021), company’s history highest
- 5% Gross Margin Improvement (new sourcing strategies and design to cost in product development);
- G&A costs reduction of about $20M through streamlining of organization and infrastructure optimization;
- Renewal of license with Calvin Klein (2017) and new agreements with DKNY, Victoria Beckham, Longchamp, Draper James, Spyder, Lanvin;
- Refocus of the organization on Top 4 Brands (Nike, Calvin Klein, Ferragamo, Lacoste) and relaunch of Proprietary Brands (Flexon, Dragon);
- Launch of proprietary e-commerce for Dragon Alliance and Nike Vision;
- Implementation of new sales strategy based on segmentation of go-to-market organization by channel (Key Accounts, Independents, Travel Retail, Sports, E-commerce) and launch of Auto-replenishment/Board Management sales tools;
- Focus on Innovation and R&D in Product Development;
- Acquisition of new organizational capabilities in the area of Merchandising, Trade Marketing, CRM
- Marchon is the third largest eyewear manufacturer of frames and sunglasses worldwide, with yearly volumes of about 20M units
- Headquartered in Long Island, NY, Marchon distributes its products in over 80 countries through a network of 22 subsidiaries and 80 distributors
- Its brand portfolio includes 20+ licensed brands (Nike, Calvin Klein, Lacoste, Chloe, Ferragamo, Longchamp, etc.) and six proprietary brands
- Since 2008, Marchon is fully owned by VSP Vision, the second largest integrated player in the Vision-Eyewear industry that operates 5 Business Lines: Insurance, Eyewear, Optics (prescription lenses), Practice Solutions (software) and Retail (750 stores)
- VSP has achieved net sales of $6.5B in 2019 and has about 17.500 employees, 20% of which are part of Marchon
- VSP is organized as a private, not for profit organization
Managing Director Emea & Asia
Marchon Eyewear
Amsterdam
01.2009 - 01.2016
- P&L Responsibility for the European and as of 2014 Asian Regions, reporting to Marchon CEO
- Directly responsible for Regional Sales, Marketing, Licensing, Product Development, Logistics and Operations for the two regions ($220M in revenues in 2016)
- Key achievements: EMEA turnover increase +80%, through the opening of subsidiaries or JVs in Portugal, Middle East, Turkey, Greece; acquisition of Scandinavian Eyewear, key regional player in the Nordic Region; organic sales growth in France, UK, Italy
- New licensing agreements with Valentino, Ferragamo, Chloe’, Lacoste, G-Star, Liujo, MCM, Marni; launch of a new proprietary brand - Kiss&Kill; opening of a new Emea brand and trade marketing structure; warehouse automation of Emea DC; development of worldwide Travel Retail Channel through a newly dedicated structure; reorganization of the go-to-market and back-office structure of the Sports Channel for the Emea region; implementation of SAP
- APAC: net sales increase of 20% in 3 years achieved through the opening of new subsidiaries in China and Singapore coupled with organic growth in key countries (Japan, India, Korea)
SVP Marketing & Licensing
Safilo Group
Padova
01.2006 - 01.2008
- Company Overview: In 2008, Safilo was the second largest eyewear manufacturer worldwide
- Headquartered in Padua (Italy), listed in Milan stock exchange, Safilo’s net revenues were in excess of €1B
- Its brand portfolio included worldwide known brands like Gucci, Dior, Armani, YSL, Marc Jacobs, Polo Ralph Lauren, Burberry and proprietary brands like Carrera and Smith
- Main responsibilities, across 150 individuals and 9 direct reports, comprised: Group marketing strategy definition and implementation; Licenses management, negotiation of licenses renewals, new licenses agreements; Marketing mix definition for all Brands, including positioning and media/communication for Proprietary Brands; Design and Product Development for all brands; Trade marketing and marketing services, including pos material distribution, marketing tools purchasing, market research, web development, European CRM; Marketing support for the retail division
- Main achievements included the relaunch of Carrera (3x in sales in 3 years to Euro 90M); the renewal of the Gucci license and new agreements with Balenciaga and Jimmy Choo; 'Eyedonist' naming and corporate image concept for Safilo’s new retail concept; the development of a high-impact visual merchandising program across 500 A locations in Europe
- In 2008, Safilo was the second largest eyewear manufacturer worldwide
- Headquartered in Padua (Italy), listed in Milan stock exchange, Safilo’s net revenues were in excess of €1B
- Its brand portfolio included worldwide known brands like Gucci, Dior, Armani, YSL, Marc Jacobs, Polo Ralph Lauren, Burberry and proprietary brands like Carrera and Smith
Western Europe Regional VP
Safilo Group
Paris
01.2001 - 01.2006
- Head of France, Spain, Portugal, Benelux subsidiaries, with revenues of €165M turnover, 260 salesmen, 70 employees (2005 data); reporting to EMEA Managing Director
- Led 30% growth in sales and 40% growth in profits
Sales Director
Safilo Group
Paris
01.1998 - 01.2001
- Head of sales for the French subsidiary of the group, reporting to Emea Managing Director
- Led net sales growth from Euro 10M to Euro 30M, thanks to the reorganization of the sales force and the growth of the suns business
Finance Manager and Controller
Safilo Group
Paris
01.1998 - 12.1998
- Main task included: reporting (P&L and cash flows); budget; coordination with auditors; general administrative services
- Reporting to Emea CFO
Project Manager of Logistics Integration
Safilo Group
Madrid
01.1995 - 01.1997
- Led all in-country activities aimed at unwinding local Distribution Centers to be replaced by centralized deliveries to customers from single Emea DC located in Padua - Italy; in parallel unwinding of local IT systems and integration into centralized, HQ led IT system
Education
DRIVING ORGANIZATIONAL AGILITY -
Harvard business school
01.2022
EXECUTIVE COACHING -
01.2020
global institute for business development -
Linkage
palm deserts01.2016
leading global businesses -
Harvard business school
01.2014
executive mba -
Essec business school
Paris, france01.2003
degree - economics and business
University of Trento
italy01.1996
Skills
- Strategic visioning
- Organizational agility
- Digital transformation
- Financial acumen
- Corporate governance
- Talent development
Boardpositions
- SIDOL, France, 01/01/01, 12/31/06
- VISION COUNCIL, USA, 01/01/20
- BIDAWEE, USA, 01/01/21, 12/31/22
- UPA, 01/01/22, 12/31/25
- CONSIGLIO GENERALE CONFINDUSTRIA COMO, 01/01/22, 12/31/25
Timeline
CEO
ARTSANA
01.2022 - 01.2024
President&CEO
Marchon Eyewear
01.2016 - 01.2022
Managing Director Emea & Asia
Marchon Eyewear
01.2009 - 01.2016
SVP Marketing & Licensing
Safilo Group
01.2006 - 01.2008
Western Europe Regional VP
Safilo Group
01.2001 - 01.2006
Sales Director
Safilo Group
01.1998 - 01.2001
Finance Manager and Controller
Safilo Group
01.1998 - 12.1998
Project Manager of Logistics Integration
Safilo Group
01.1995 - 01.1997
DRIVING ORGANIZATIONAL AGILITY -
Harvard business school
EXECUTIVE COACHING -
global institute for business development -
Linkage
leading global businesses -
Harvard business school
executive mba -
Essec business school
degree - economics and business
University of Trento
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