Chris Spira is a turnaround executive specialised in the branded and luxury goods sector. He is half English and half French, has a modern languages degree in French and German literature from Cambridge and went to business school in SDA Bocconi in Milan. He was hired by private equity owners Texas Pacific Group to help turnaround motorcycle manufacturer Ducati in Bologna, where he remained for 5 years, learning fluent Italian. Subsequently, while continuing to consult at Ducati, he worked for private equity firm HMD when they acquired control of fashion Group Escada, based in Munich, overseeing the implementation of a very successful restructuring plan which returned the company to profitability and saw the share price increase two and a half times. On his return to London, he took the helm of international contemporary art gallery Haunch of Venison, where he rehauled the operations and prepared the company for sale. He completed the sale of the business to Christie's, the auctioneers, in February 2007 and as of October 2007 he is CEO of British fashion house Julien Macdonald. |
