Matchesfashion names new CFO, launches Grand Tour experiential shopping extravaganza

Matchesfashion has named a new Chief Financial Officer with Dave Murray set to join the luxury retailer and e-tailer from its peer Farfetch, where he was Senior VP of Finance. 

Murray will start his new role this autumn, replacing Sean Glithero who’s leaving to take a career break. 

He has 20 years of experience in the luxury and retail sectors, including three years at Farfetch, where he worked alongside that company’s CFO, with operational responsibility for all areas of finance. 

Before that, he was in senior finance positions at Amazon in the UK  from 2014, which followed a decade at Sainsbury’s where his final post was Head of Retail Finance in 2014. 

CEO Paolo De Cesare called him “one of the luxury industry’s most respected finance professionals” and said he’ll “provide us with invaluable e-commerce expertise. We expect the next $100 billion of luxury market growth will come from further digital penetration and Dave’s vast experience in this area will be immensely valuable”.

His appointment also follows the arrival of Prenisha Harry as HR Director, who joined from Pandora. She has also worked at Inditex.

And at the same time as it shared news of its two new senior hires, Matchesfashion also announced its Grand Tour Italy Part II. 

Working in partnership with Marie-Louise Sciò, founder of Issimo (a new e-commerce and lifestyle platform directly inspired by Italy’s rich heritage of style, design and culture) and the CEO and Creative Director of the Pellicano Hotels Group, it’s a three-part tour of Rome, Florence, and Naples/Ischia. We’re told it “will celebrate the return of global travel and showcase Matchesfashion’s exclusive vacation capsules through a series of unforgettable events”.

The journey will also be captured in a cinematic mini-series, shared with the retailer’s audiences worldwide. 

The first stop is being marked by the launch of Marie-Louise Scio and Robert Rabensteiner’s vacation edits online via a pop-up in Rome until 8 May. This will be followed by an event and installation at the firm’s 5 Carlos Place townhouse in London, before heading to Florence (10-12 June) and Naples/ischia (19-22 July). 

The Grand Tour is meant to be all about the experience for its high-spending guests and includes cocktail parties, special dinners, shopping, dancing, private art tours, and relaxing by the sea.