Sebastian Suhl
Born	(1967-12-05) December 5, 1967 (age 56) New York City, U.S.
Nationality	American , Germany
Education	Colorado College, ESADE
Occupation(s)	CEO and other C-suite positions
Years active	1997 - present
Employer(s)	Prada, Givenchy, Marc Jacobs, Valentino, Trussardi
Known for	Luxury and fashion management, retail, digital, merchandising, marketing

Sebastian Suhl (born 1967 in New York City, USA) is a seasoned executive who was instrumental in Prada’s retail expansion and 2011 IPO and who later became CEO of Givenchy, leading the brand to significant growth in sales and profits.

Sebastian Suhl was named the CEO of the Milanese luxury brand Trussardi in  2020. Previously he facilitated Valentino’s international brand expansion as the Managing Director of global markets from 2017. Prior to Valentino, he was CEO of the New York-based fashion company Marc Jacobs from September 2014. Suhl was CEO of French fashion House Givenchy, also part of the LVMH Group, from early 2012. ^{[1] [2]} From 2001 to 2011 he held various senior positions in Prada Group, the latest as Chief Operating Officer.

Education

After earning a Bachelor's degree in World Political Economy from Colorado College (USA) in 1989, Suhl completed his Master's in Business Administration at Esade in Barcelona in 1992. ^{[3] [2]}

Career

Suhl started his career in 1992 as Senior Auditor with Deloitte & Touche in Barcelona, before moving to Paris in 1996 to take up the position of Engagement Manager at the strategy consultancy firm, Solving International. ^{[1] [4] [2] [5]}

Beginnings in the fashion industry

In 1997 Suhl was co-founder and managing director at Thimister, a start up couture house. Two years later, in 1999, he was appointed director of business development at Courreges. ^[5]

Sebastian Suhl and Prada

During the early 2000s Sebastian Suhl carried on his career at Prada Group (which incorporates the Prada,  Miu Miu, Church’s and Car Shoe brands). In 2001 he was appointed General Manager in France. In 2005, he became Chief Executive Officer Asia Pacific & China for the Prada Group, in Hong Kong. ^{[3] [5]} In 2009 he was appointed Prada Group’s Chief Operating Officer and moved to Milan. Sebastian Suhl was especially involved in the success of the IPO of the brand on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2011. ^{[6] [7] [8]}

Sebastian Suhl and Givenchy

Suhl joined Givenchy, the LVMH-owned label, in 2012. ^{[9] [10]} His arrival at the company has been followed by strong growth over the years after his appointment. Affirming the importance of controlled retail and owned shops, Sebastian Suhl has planned to open 24 new stores within the year 2014. ^[11]

Sebastian Suhl and Marc Jacobs

In September 2014, he is appointed CEO of Marc Jacobs, ^[12] announcing a new era with designer Marc Jacobs's departure from Louis Vuitton and the announcement that he would concentrate on his own brand. ^{[13] [14] [3] [5]}

Sebastian Suhl and Valentino

In 2018 Suhl joined Valentino as Managing Director – Global Markets. In this role, Suhl was in charge of the global commercial function – retail, e-commerce and sales. ^[1]

Sebastian Suhl and Trussardi

In 2020 Suhl was appointed CEO of the historic Italian house Trussardi. ^[15] Trussardi had recently been acquired by an Italian private equity fund and Suhl was tasked with the revival of the house. Among his noteworthy accomplishments at Trussardi, he named new creative directors and set out a new brand identity. ^[16] He also reopened the historic Palazzo Trussardi in Milan, ^[17] complete with a flagship store connected seamlessly to a café and a restaurant in a joint venture with Michelin chef Giancarlo Perbellini. ^[18]

Public speaking

A well-respected figure within the industry, Suhl has raised his public profile by speaking at the Financial Times Business of Luxury Summit in Los Angeles ^[19] as well as the Business of Design Week Forum in Hong Kong among others. ^[2]

References