The Austrian eyewear manufacturer Silhouette Group has a new boss. On Monday, the Linz-based company announced that Christian Bachler had been appointed CEO with immediate effect. He took over the position from Reinhard Mahr. He will “continue to support the company in his role as CFO until his planned departure and thus ensure a structured and smooth transition,” according to a statement.
In his new role, Bachler will be responsible for “global brand management of the Silhouette, Evil Eye and Neubau brands as well as Silhouette Complete Eyewear,” the group explained. He will also lead the areas of design, corporate PR and communications, human resources, strategy and the program management office and will serve as chairman of the board.
The new CEO comes from the Fiskars Group
According to his new employer, Bachler brings “over 20 years of international management experience and has comprehensive skills in brand management, portfolio strategy and operational excellence.” Most recently, he was Executive Vice President for the Vita division at the Finnish group Fiskars Group, which includes brands such as Iittala, Georg Jensen, Royal Copenhagen and Wedgwood. Before that, he worked for the jewelry supplier Swarovski, among others.
The Silhouette Group’s supervisory board explained the personnel decision. “With Christian Bachler, we are gaining a CEO who will specifically develop brands, drive growth and consistently implement transformation – exactly the leader we need for the next phase of our development,” it said in a statement. With the appointment, the group of companies is sending “a clear signal for the further strengthening of its international market position and for the consistent further development of its brand and innovation strategy.”
