Luggage brand Antler names new MD

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Sep 12, 2022

UK-based luggage brand Antler has named Kirsty Glenne as Managing Director, ahead of a “full brand rejuvenation and international scale-up”.

It’s the first key appointment since the brand was acquired by ATR Brands, which is part of Australian retailer Strandbags, a little over two years ago.

The company said it’s seeing “significant expansion” at present.

Glenne has a strong track record having held C-suite positions in the luxury lifestyle and retail sectors at brands including Kering’s Alexander McQueen and Dr Barbara Sturm,

She “brings significant strategic leadership and digital expertise to the team”, we’re told. 

She also said that the 108-year-old brand is “unique with a rich heritage of innovation” and is also “ripe for reimagination”. She highlighted the start of a new era when it comes to travel, and said there’s “significant potential to realise Antler’s ambition of becoming a globally recognised, British travel brand”.

Under her leadership, the company is working through a “full brand repositioning” that will be revealed in the months ahead, as will “special projects that will ensure Antler becomes a dynamic, customer-first brand with a strategic vision that builds on, and re-defines, the relevance of its legacy”.
 
Strandbags CEO Felicity McGahan said Glenn “brings the strategic insight and ambition we were looking for to lead the team and ensure Antler realises its potential to sit alongside other world-class British brands on the global stage”.
 
Recent activity for the brand has been it expanding from the Uk to take back control of the Australian market where it was previously handled locally by a distributor at the end of 2021 and the rollout of an e-commerce store in Europe the May. A US launched is planned for early 2023.