KCD Names Rachna Shah New Chief, Opens Next Chapter

For the primary time in virtually 30 years, KCD has a brand new prime government.

The powerhouse trend public relations agency, which works with a who’s who of main trend manufacturers, from sector big Louis Vuitton to white-hot Miu Miu, has promoted KCD veteran Rachna Shah to world chief government, as Julie Mannion, who has led the company since 1994, relinquishes her present position to turn out to be chairman of the board.

Shah’s promotion opens a 3rd chapter within the historical past of KCD.

The company — one of many first public relations companies to concentrate on trend when it was launched in 1984 — was run by founders Kezia Keeble, John Duka and Paul Cavaco till the early Nineties, when Mannion and her late co-president Ed Filipowski took the reins. Beneath their tenure, KCD expanded to each new geographies — it at present operates in New York, Paris, London and Los Angeles — in addition to new disciplines, together with the corporate’s trend companies arm, which works with manufacturers to convey a group to life by campaigns and on the runway. It additionally expanded past strictly trend, into magnificence and the broader way of life sphere, with shoppers like Netflix and L’Oréal.

Shah, who most not too long ago ran KCD’s media relations group as companion and managing director, goals to additional combine the agency’s world operations, which span media relations, inventive companies, trend companies, digital advertising, visitor expertise and VIP companies, throughout workplaces in New York, Paris, London and Los Angeles.

“My imaginative and prescient is admittedly about increasing on the multidisciplinary strategy that we have already got. We will collect all of our worlds collectively,” she mentioned. “I grew up round all of the disciplines, that’s why I can now step into this position with an actual confidence.”

Shah joined KCD in 1997 beneath Filipowski’s wing quickly after graduating from New York College, and went on to work with main manufacturers from Gucci to Valentino, and assist ship key occasions just like the CFDA Awards and the Met Gala at a time when the stakes have been rising for a fast-growing trend sector reshaped by globalisation and new expertise.

In December 2010, she spearheaded the creation of KCD’s digital division, making it one of many first trend PR companies to construct social media, influencer and different digital advertising capabilities.

Now, she’s taking up the highest job amid a trend PR panorama being reshaped as boutique upstarts commerce on a extra social media-savvy strategy and greater gamers reminiscent of Karla Otto proprietor The Independents and The Lede Firm bulk up their choices by acquisitions, placing stress on these caught within the center.

London PR agency ScienceMagic, previously referred to as The Communications Retailer, which labored with shoppers reminiscent of Versace and Canada Goose, entered into administration in October, whereas Paris-based publicist Michèle Montagne shuttered her namesake firm final month.

M&A isn’t a prime precedence at KCD, although Shah mentioned “by no means say by no means.”

“We’re investing in us,” she continued. “We’re actually targeted on pulling all these totally different disciplines to the forefront and utilising the truth that these aren’t new businesses coming collectively, this isn’t a brand new construction; we’re already a well-oiled machine.”