Ercole de Cesare
I grow premium and luxury brands beyond their home market, and run them while they do. For more than twenty years I have worked on the same question from different seats, as CEO, General Manager and Commercial Director: how an Italian brand turns a good product into a business that sells in Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai or Dubai. As CEO of Roberta di Camerino, a heritage brand founded in 1945, I led its relaunch with full P&L responsibility and teams in Europe, China and Korea. The licensing business in China was worth about $100M in turnover and grew 20% a year between 2011 and 2014. I also managed the strategic partnership with Mitsubishi Corporation Fashion for Japan. As General Manager of Nava Design I grew sales by 30% and opened Japan, Korea and the Middle East. As international business development consultant and advisor for Moschino, Twinset, Peuterey, John Richmond, Refrigiwear and, more recently, Slowear, I signed new distribution agreements, with sales up 15% on average across Asia and the Middle East. In London I helped Sabina Bilenko, a couture brand sold at Harrods, reach profitability six months ahead of plan. Co-founding The Urban Society showed me the other side: what it really costs to build a brand from zero. Where I add the most value: · Entering new markets: choosing the right partners, negotiating distribution and licensing agreements, setting price and assortment before launch, not after · Building commercial organisations, wholesale and retail, that keep selling once the launch is over · Running a company with growth and margins on the same page Fashion and luxury are where I come from. Design, furniture and lifestyle are where the same challenge, and the same Italian advantage, shows up. Today I advise brands on international growth, including Twinset and Slowear, and I'm open to CEO, General Manager, Commercial Director and International Development Director roles, in Italy or abroad.
Independent advisor (part-time) to premium and luxury brands on international growth. Mandates include Twinset (2025–2026) and Slowear (Asia, since September 2026). • Hands-on commercial support to founders and management, from strategy definition to daily execution. • Market entry in Asia and the Middle East: partner identification, negotiation and execution of commercial agreements. • Building and managing distribution networks directly, with a commercially driven, execution-oriented approach. • Established network of distribution partners, buyers and operators across Asia and the Middle East.
Co-founder of an urban-premium brand of vegan, eco-tech accessories, built omnichannel across retail, wholesale and e-commerce. • Defined commercial and brand strategy from scratch; P&L ownership on growth and scalability. • Distribution network across 50+ retail doors in Italy, plus international presence. • End-to-end operations: supply chain, pricing, margin optimisation. • Led cross-functional teams of 20+ professionals.
London-based haute couture brand, stocked at Harrods. Strategic advisor from inception to profitability, working directly with the CEO and shareholders. • Business plan, company setup, team building and go-to-market plan. • Positioned the brand at Harrods across womenswear, menswear and accessories. • Managed a team of 10; market and competitive analysis across the luxury sector. • Took the company to profitability 6 months ahead of business plan targets.
Milan design brand. General Manager with full P&L, pricing and margin ownership. • Grew sales by 30% in 2021–2022 through new distribution agreements and commercial partnerships. • Opened new international markets: Japan, Korea and the Middle East, with go-to-market strategy and partner development. • Developed a wholesale distribution partnership with Wolleen for international markets. • Led cross-functional teams of 20+ professionals across marketing, wholesale and brand positioning. • Co-created a capsule collection with architect Stefano Boeri.
International commercial development and licensing for premium and luxury fashion brands: Moschino, Peuterey, John Richmond, Refrigiwear, Anna Virgili. • Signed new distribution and representation agreements in new markets. • Average sales growth of 15% across assigned territories: Japan, China, Korea, Southeast Asia, Middle East. • Built go-to-market plans, negotiated commercial agreements and consolidated key market partnerships.
Luxury accessories start-up producing one-of-a-kind artistic handbags. As CEO, led the brand launch. • Defined brand positioning and strategic direction in the luxury segment. • Managed a team of 5 and coordinated 20 artists across Europe and the United States. • Negotiated cooperation agreements with artists and a strategic partnership with a premium leather goods supplier. • Featured in Milano Finanza (December 2016).
Historic Italian luxury brand founded in Venice in 1945. As CEO, led the brand's relaunch with full P&L responsibility. • Licensing business in China worth about $100M in turnover, growing 20% a year in 2011–2014 through licensing agreements and distributor partnerships. • Led international expansion across Japan, Korea and China, managing 20 staff in Europe, 80 in China and 10 in Korea. • Defined and managed the strategic partnership with Mitsubishi Corporation Fashion for the Japanese market. • Developed and executed the brand repositioning strategy in the luxury segment. • Represented the brand at international trade events, conferences and with the media.
Reporting to General Management, responsible for the brand's development and worldwide relaunch. • Defined the business plan and marketing strategy with senior management. • Managed collection briefing, pricing, competitor analysis and product positioning. • Owned the marketing budget, brand policy and product licensing strategy (labelling, distribution and pricing across licences). • Ran sell-through and sell-out analysis across key accounts and department stores; break-even analysis for new concept stores. • Supported the company start-up process and operations management.
Sixty Group: Miss Sixty, Energie, Killah, Sixty, and Refrigiwear, Richlu, Baracuta. Reporting to the Brand Manager, the CEO and General Management. • Defined and managed advertising, marketing and communication budgets and campaigns. • Developed trade strategy and POP materials for the sales offices; ran competitor research. • Managed advertising agencies, photo shoots and events, protecting consistent brand positioning.
Ercole is a top professional. Great commercial skills, good contacts and he is multi-lingual. He has many years of international business experience. He has a solid experience of General Management, running successful businesses. In terms of soft skills, he is adaptable for any situation. Good fun to work with but always results driven.