Best Startup
At Best Startup UK we track over 130,000 UK startups and over 500,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United Kingdom based President operating in the Fashion space. If you think a President is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.co.uk.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Companies House UK, Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Alejandro Betancourt
President of Hawkers Co.
Leopoldo Alejandro Betancourt Lopez currently serves as director, controlling party and the largest shareholder for the O’Hara Administration Co., S.A., an international investment group. In addition, he also serves as president of Hawkers, a Spanish sunglasses company, as well as the director of Pacific Exploration & Production Corp., a Canadian publicly held energy explorer and producer. Betancourt earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and business administration at Suffolk University. He began his career at Guruceaga Group, an international trade, finance, real estate and agriculture company. He has extensive experience in the energy sector, having worked as the Latin American commercial manager and trader for London-based ICC-OEOC, an oil exploration and drilling technology company, and as a director of BGB Energy, an affiliate of Kawasaki Heavy Industries. He founded O’Hara Administration, a leading asset management company that has investments in industry leaders across several sectors. At Pacific Exploration & Production (formerly Pacific Rubiales Energy), he has overseen the company’s expansion into Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. At Hawkers, one of the world’s largest sunglasses companies, he has focused on brand expansion, fund-raising and strategic relationships. Betancourt also serves as a major shareholder for Banque de Dakar in Senegal, working to expand banking services throughout Africa. Betancourt’s philanthropic endeavors center on community involvement, with a focus on education, including the Carmen Salles School at Ciudad Bolivar and Universidad Simón Bolívar. — Alejandro Betancourt López actualmente es director, parte controladora y accionista mayoritario de O’Hara Administration Co. S.A., un grupo de inversión internacional. Además, es el presidente de Hawkers, una empresa española de lentes de sol, así como el director de Pacific Exploration & Production Corp., un explorador y productor de energía canadiense que cotiza en la bolsa. Betancourt obtuvo su licenciatura en Economía y Administración de Empresas de la Universidad de Suffolk. Inició su carrera en Guruceaga Group, una empresa de comercio, finanzas, bienes raíces y agricultura. Tiene amplia experiencia en el sector de energía, ya que trabajó como gerente comercial y operador de América Latina en una empresa ubicada en Londres llamada ICC-OEOC, una empresa tecnología de exploración y perforación de petróleo, y como el director de BGB Energy, un afiliado de Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Fundó O’Hara Administration, una compañía líder en gestión de activos que cuenta con inversiones en líderes de la industria en varios sectores. En Pacific Exploration & Production (anteriormente llamada Pacific Rubiales Energy), supervisó la expansión de la empresa hacia México, Perú y Venezuela. En Hawkers, una de las compañías de lentes de sol más grandes del mundo, se enfocó en la expansión de la marca, recaudación de fondos y relaciones estratégicas. Betancourt es también el mayor accionista de Banque de Dakar en Senegal, trabajando para expandir los servicios de la banca hacia África. Los esfuerzos filantrópicos de Betancourt se centran en el compromiso con la comunidad, con un enfoque en la educación, incluyendo la Escuela Carmen Salles en Ciudad Bolívar y la Universidad Simón Bolívar.
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About Auro Travel, BDK Banque de Dakar, Hawkers Co.: Hawkers Co is a sunglasses company.
Kelly Kowal
Executive Vice President, Farfetch Platform Solutions (FPS) of Farfetch
As Managing Director of Farfetch Black & White, Kelly’s role is focused on leading her team to build revolutionary multi-channel e-commerce solutions and operating e-commerce sites for luxury brands and retailers. Kelly sits on the Farfetch Executive Board. Kelly joined Farfetch in 2010 to build and lead all digital marketing initiatives including customer acquisition, retention and engagement. Within her time at Farfetch, she also led the international growth and development strategy, overseeing expansion and localisation for all markets. Kelly’s background is in internet marketing and e-commerce, with her experience spanning over 15 years.
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About Farfetch: Farfetch is an online luxury fashion retail platform.
Sandrine Deveaux
Executive Vice President, Store of the Future of Farfetch
Sandrine is at the helm of Farfetch’s retail innovation vision ‘Store of the Future’ and is responsible for developing, executing and rolling out new, in-store technologies across Farfetch’s community of retail partners. Under Deveaux’s leadership, her team are focused on developing a pioneering mix of technology that will shape the retail experience of the future. Deveaux’s marketing, omni-channel and e-commerce expertise was honed in her previous roles at Harvey Nichols as multi-channel director and director of marketing and e-commerce at Matchesfashion.com. Sandrine also previously held roles at AOL and Bloomberg Media. Deveaux graduated from French business school ISC and holds a master’s degree in technology from ESSEC.
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About Farfetch: Farfetch is an online luxury fashion retail platform.
Amir Ofer
Founder & President of mySupermarket
Amir Ofer is Founder & President at mySupermarket.
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About mySupermarket: mySupermarket designs a supermarket shopping and comparison website that helps users to compare prices across different stores.
Steve Murray
Executive Vice President, Strategic Projects of VF
Steve Murray is Executive Vice President, Strategic Projects at VF Corporation. He has more than 30 years of experience in the apparel and footwear industry. In his current role, Steve partners with VF’s Senior Leadership Team and Brand Presidents to drive and deliver integrated strategic projects across brands, functions and the enterprise. Prior to his current role, Steve served as President of the Vans® brand following VF’s acquisition of the brand in 2004, during which time many of the Vans foundational strategies were established and annual revenue for the brand tripled to approximately $1 billion. In 2009, Steve was appointed President of VF’s Action Sports coalition, where he was responsible for overseeing the Vans , Reef and Pro-Tec brands . A British citizen, Steve left VF in 2010, moving back to his native UK, before re-joining the company in April 2018. He has held several leadership roles with iconic youth brands. Most recently, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Airwair International (Dr. Martens) and was responsible for leading the company’s transformation from a manufacturing-led, family owned entity to a consumer-focused, private equity-backed, global retailer. He also served as Global Brand President, Urban Outfitters and EMEA President for Deckers Brands. Earlier in his career, Steve was the Global Head of Apparel for Reebok International. Steve holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Studies from Middlesex University.
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About VF: VF offers a diverse portfolio of iconic outdoor and activity-based lifestyle and work-wear brands.
John Higson
Executive Vice President, Europe, Middle East & Africa and Latin America of Avon Products
John Higson is Executive Vice President of Avon’s Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) and Latin America (LATAM) regions. He has been responsible for end-to-end operations across EMEA since 2012, and assumed leadership of LATAM in January 2016. Mr. Higson is also a member of the Executive Committee. From 2014 through 2015, Mr. Higson served as Head of Global Field Operations, providing assessment and advisory support to the sales teams in Avon’s top 12 markets. Prior to this role, Mr. Higson was Senior Vice President, Global Commercial Operations. Before that, he was Senior Vice President of Global Direct Selling and Business Model Innovation, with responsibility for leading and developing Avon’s initiatives and strategies for its direct-selling channel. Mr. Higson has also served as: Senior Vice President, Central & Eastern Europe; General Manager, Avon Poland; Head of Global Sales Development; and General Manager, Avon Hungary. Mr. Higson joined Avon U.K. in 1985 as a management Associate. He went on to hold the positions of Division Manager, Sales Planner and Regional Director before his appointment as General Manager, Avon Hungary in 1993. Mr. Higson studied Economics and Public Policy at the University of Leeds.
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About Avon Products: Avon Products, Inc. (Avon) is a manufacturer and marketer of beauty and related products.
Matthew Mueller
Founder & President of Knot Standard
Matthew Mueller, Co-Founder & CEO of Knot Standard, added, “The clothing industry is entering a new period of rapid change as new products and technology take hold. Knot Standard’s customers have made it one of the 10 fastest-growing retails brands in the country, and proven that custom, personalized apparel is the future of fashion. The talented group at TRAUB will help us reach new clients worldwide, expand to new products, and launch the new standard for custom retail in the months to come.
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About Knot Standard: A custom menswear brand, revolutionizing the way customers shop for clothing both online and across 10 national showroom locations.
Jon Shimp
Vice President Risk Management of Louis Vuitton
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About Avivia Health, Kin Wellness, Louis Vuitton: Louis Vuitton is a French fashion house and luxury retail company.
Erica Feld
President/Co-Founder of Wagdrobe
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About Wagdrobe: Wagdrobe is the first and only pet fashion company that offers a uniquely curated box of surprise apparel and accessories.
Stella Sampsonidi
President of B224 USA Co.
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About B224 London Limited, B224 USA Co.: Fragrances & Baby Apparels
