Elizabeth von der Goltz Exits Matchesfashion as New CEO Nick Beighton Gets to Work
LONDON — Elizabeth von der Goltz has exited Matchesfashion and will be replaced by Carl Tallents, WWD has learned.
Tallents, currently group head of Luxury Brands at Britain’s Frasers Group, will take up the role of chief commercial officer in October.
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Von der Goltz joined Matches in early 2021 from Net-a-porter, where she held the role of global buying director. She was hired by Ajay Kavan, the former Amazon executive who was then CEO of Matches.
Her exit follows the arrival of Nick Beighton, the retailer’s fourth chief executive officer in five years.
A tech and finance whiz, Beighton is expected to make sweeping changes at Matches. He’ll be looking to fuel top- and bottom-line growth in an ultra-competitive climate for luxury e-commerce, and amid a cost-of-living crisis, and a looming recession, in the U.K.
Tallents is Beighton’s first big fashion hire.
According to the company, he has 18 years’ experience in senior roles across sales, buying and merchandising. At Frasers Group he served as head of Luxury Brands for the last six years.
Matches describes him as “an established leader with successful experience in high growth companies.” Frasers Group owns the upscale retailer Flannels, which has a flagship in London. Flannels carries brands including Gucci, Balmain, Max Mara, Jacquemus and Alexander McQueen.
Beighton said Matches remains focused on its ambition to be “the luxury destination for customers in the world. Carl brings a depth of experience and leadership that will be invaluable as we enter our next phase of growth.”
At Net-a-porter, von der Goltz led buying strategy across all product categories and was responsible for driving sales and developing product collections. During her three-plus years at Net, she became a high-profile marketeer for the retailer.
In 2020, she was a guest judge on Netflix’s “Next in Fashion” competition show and, before the pandemic, would regularly boost levels of engagement on Net’s Instagram with her frequent street-style appearances.
During her time at Net, von der Goltz also helped transform the retailer into a major player in the fine jewelry category online.
Von der Goltz had joined Net in 2017 after serving as senior vice president and general merchandise manager at Bergdorf Goodman.
She originally joined Bergdorf in 2000 as a buyer. In her last position at the New York store, she oversaw fine apparel, designer sportswear, contemporary collections, jewelry and beauty — and nurtured those businesses across product categories.
Von der Goltz could not be reached for comment on Thursday.
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