Karen Millen bolsters growth with new hires

British-born international fashion brand Karen Millen

has announced the appointment of two retail directors as it looks to propel its growth in Europe.

The fashion brand has named Becky Bateman as retail director for the UK & Ireland and she will be responsible for leading the “Karen Millen proposition in the home markets”, through customer service and by delivering “ultimate brand experience” in its UK stores.

Looking to Europe, the fashion retailer has appointed Pilar LaCave, who most recently worked at Diesel as global retail operations development manager, as retail director for Europe to head up the management of the international business in Europe.

The hires are part of the retailer’s bid to strengthen its senior management team, earlier this year Karen Millen appointed its first global retail operations director, Sian Hession to help increase sales from its international flagships, which account for more than 60 percent of the company’s turnover.

Gemma Metheringham, Managing Director of Karen Millen, said: “As a fast growing international brand with a strong British heritage, these are two really important appointments for us. We look forward to Becky and Pilar joining the management team to help drive forward our continued success in offering women around the world affordable, design-led luxury fashion.”

Bateman, who was previously Fat Face’s retail director, joins Karen Millen in January, and LaCave starts in November.