ZALORA nabs Myntra CMO Gunjan Soni as new CEO

Global Fashion Group has appointed Gunjan Soni (pictured) as ZALORA's new CEO, a move effective in early 2019. Soni joins from India-based fashion e-commerce company Myntra, where she was CMO and head of the Jabong business.Soni brings with her over 13 years of leadership experience in marketing, strategy and operations. At Myntra, Soni was instrumental in firmly positioning the brand as a "leader in fashion and lifestyle" and leading the turnaround of the Jabong business post acquisition, the statement said.Prior to Myntra, Soni was EVP for strategy and CEO Office with Star India. She also held a stint at McKinsey, where she was a partner working across multiple consumer sectors and geographies including UK, Singapore and Bhutan."[Soni]'s experience in leading operations, strategy and marketing in fashion e-commerce and her strong leadership skills will be instrumental in strengthening ZALORA’s position as market leader in Southeast Asia’s e-fashion space," Patrick Schmidt, co-CEO of Global Fashion Group, said.Global Fashion Group’s chairman Cynthia Gordon added that Soni has deep operational knowledge and an impressive track record in leading teams across different functions in e-commerce. As such, her experience in managing a large organisation and region will be a strong foundation for ZALORA to continue building its presence in Southeast Asia."When I see ZALORA, I see a company with limitless potential and ability to shape the future of fashion commerce in one of the most exciting markets globally! This makes it both exciting and humbling to take on this role," Soni said.Most recently, ZALORA appointed Elias Pour as chief marketing officer. He will lead a team of approximately 150 individuals, overseeing the full marketing operations at ZALORA Group across Asia Pacific. He was previously head of digital at Red Bull, where he was responsible for the brand’s digital marketing, content production and e-commerce sales in Asia Pacific.In March this year, the fashion retailer revealed that its group CEO Parker Gundersen was leaving the company at the end of May for personal reasons. Gundersen joined ZALORA in 2016 and has worked with the leadership team to grow the brand and improve overall profitability.