Birkenstock, the German sandal manufacturer, has appointed Evelyn Chua as Managing Director for Southeast Asia and the Australasian region, effective July 1, 2024. In this newly established role based in Singapore, Chua will oversee operations across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, and New Zealand. Reporting directly to Klaus Baumann, Chief Sales Officer of the Group, Chua aims to enhance the company's market presence in these burgeoning markets. This move comes as Birkenstock, under the ownership of L Catterton since 2021, seeks to bolster its market position, expand across various sales channels, and pioneer innovative retail concepts.
Evelyn Chua brings more than 15 years of experience in the retail industry to the role. Her experience spans multiple categories across fashion, beauty, wines, spirits, watches, and jewellery, as well as offline and online channels. Her responsibilities have included building strong relationships with strategic retail partners and talent management. After studying in Singapore and Sweden, Chua spent six years working for DFS Venture, the well-known luxury travel retailer based in Hong Kong, where she was responsible for the Singapore and Myanmar regions.
In 2022, Evelyn Chua joined Synagie, a company managing more than 1000 e-stores across seven Southeast Asian markets for 600 brand partners, including prominent names like Nike, Estee Lauder, and L'Oréal. Serving as Chief Commercial Officer, she oversaw operations in six countries: Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam, focusing on online business in diverse categories such as Premium/Mass Beauty, FMCG, and Fashion.
"As we expand our online presence, I want to strengthen the relationship with our retailers who have been instrumental in our growth. We will support them in developing their product range strategy. At the same time, we want to accelerate our own business by opening new shops. The market offers both. We also want to ensure that our customers in Wholesale and Own Retail have the same shopping and service experience. I have always been a big fan of the footbed. During my studies, I only wore my two pairs of Madrid and my Mayari. Our brand is very well known in the region. I am convinced that it still has enormous growth potential", comments Evelyn Chua.
"Southeast Asia is a region with enormous growth potential. With the additional capacity we have been able to provide since the commissioning of our new plant in Pasewalk in September 2023, we are now in a position to fulfil the needs of Asian customers for our products. With her vast experience in online and offline retail, Evelyn Chua is the perfect leader to expand our presence in this important region. Welcome on board!", says Chief Sales Officer Klaus Baumann, welcoming the new addition.
Headquartered in Linz am Rhein, the Birkenstock Group employs approximately 6,200 individuals globally. It operates sales offices across various countries, including the United States, Canada, Brazil, Japan, Denmark, Poland, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, the United Kingdom, France, Norway, the Netherlands, Dubai, Singapore, and India. Recently, the company revised its annual sales projection upward following a robust second quarter, driven by notable growth in Asia.