Technology Executive Search Project | Phoebe Philo

Building a Technology Function from the Ground Up: How We Partnered with Phoebe Philo to Appoint a Technology Director

Launching a luxury fashion maison requires much more than exceptional creative vision. Behind every successful brand launch sits a carefully constructed operating infrastructure capable of supporting growth, customer experience, digital commerce, and global expansion. This was the challenge facing Phoebe Philo when we were engaged to recruit a Technology Director.

The Challenge Why a Global Search Was Essential Delivering Market Intelligence Beyond Recruitment Our Search Methodology The Outcome

At the time of the brief, Phoebe Philo was preparing to launch a new clothing and accessories maison, backed by minority investment from LVMH. The business was in its formative stages, with only one individual in the HR function and a significant amount of organisational design still to be completed. The requirement was not simply to hire a senior technology leader; it was to identify an executive capable of building an entire technology function from scratch and creating the foundations upon which the brand could scale.

The Challenge

Unlike established luxury brands with mature technology teams and clearly defined operating models, this assignment required us to identify leaders who could thrive in ambiguity and entrepreneurship.

The successful candidate would be responsible for:

✓Designing and building the technology function from the ground up

✓Creating the technology roadmap required to support the launch of a new luxury fashion maison

✓Establishing core infrastructure, systems, governance and vendor relationships

✓Supporting the development of digital commerce capabilities

✓Partnering with senior leadership to ensure technology became a strategic enabler of business growth

The compensation package was positioned between £180,000 and £200,000, making this a highly competitive but selective search within an already limited talent pool.

Adding further complexity, the organisation had minimal internal recruitment infrastructure at the time of appointment. With only one person within HR, there was a significant requirement for external market intelligence, benchmarking data and strategic guidance throughout the process.

Why a Global Search Was Essential

One of the key recommendations we made at the outset was to avoid restricting the search to the UK market.

For many businesses, executive searches naturally default to London and the wider UK technology leadership community. However, our assessment of the brief highlighted a critical issue: the ideal candidate profile sat at the intersection of luxury retail, digital transformation, start-up building and enterprise technology leadership.

This combination of skills is exceptionally rare.

Rather than limiting the search geography, we undertook a comprehensive global market mapping exercise across key luxury and premium fashion hubs, including:

United Kingdom France Italy Germany Switzerland Netherlands Spain Scandinavia Selected North American luxury markets

Our objective was not merely to generate candidates but to build a complete picture of the available leadership landscape and understand where the most relevant expertise existed.

Delivering Market Intelligence Beyond Recruitment

Given the size and maturity of the organisation at the time, the project extended beyond traditional executive search.

Throughout the assignment, we provided detailed market intelligence covering:

✓Technology leadership structures across luxury fashion brands

✓Compensation benchmarking

✓Organisational design considerations

✓Availability of technology talent by geography

✓Relocation trends within the luxury sector

✓Competitor talent mapping

This information enabled the leadership team to make informed decisions not only about recruitment but also about how the future technology function should be structured.

For a business in launch mode, this level of insight was particularly valuable. It reduced uncertainty and provided confidence that the organisation was positioning itself competitively within the market.

Our Search Methodology

The search was built around a detailed global mapping strategy.

We identified and assessed senior technology executives from luxury fashion houses, premium consumer brands, digitally native retailers and high-growth businesses where technology was a critical business enabler.

Particular attention was given to candidates who had previously:

✓Built teams from the ground up

✓Operated in entrepreneurial environments

✓Led technology functions through periods of rapid growth

✓Implemented core platforms and infrastructure

✓Worked closely with founders and executive leadership teams

By taking a truly international approach, we were able to access talent pools that would never have been visible through a UK-focused process alone.

The resulting shortlist represented a diverse range of leaders from multiple European markets, providing Phoebe Philo with access to significantly broader expertise than a domestic search could have delivered.

The Outcome

The successful candidate was ultimately identified outside of the UK and relocated from Europe to take up the position.

Their background aligned closely with the strategic requirements of the role, combining technology leadership expertise with experience building capabilities in high-growth, consumer-facing environments.

Beyond filling a critical leadership position, the appointment provided the organisation with a technology leader capable of creating the infrastructure, systems and team required to support the successful launch and growth of the brand.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was RHR's role in the Phoebe Philo Technology Director search?

We were engaged to recruit a Technology Director for Phoebe Philo's new clothing and accessories maison, backed by minority investment from LVMH. The brief went beyond a single hire: the business had only one person in its HR function at the time, so the project also involved building out significant market intelligence and organisational design input to support the wider launch.

Why did the search extend beyond the UK market?

The ideal candidate profile sat at the intersection of luxury retail, digital transformation, start-up building and enterprise technology leadership — a combination of skills that is exceptionally rare. Restricting the search to London and the UK technology leadership community would have missed the strongest talent, so we ran a global market mapping exercise across the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain, Scandinavia and selected North American luxury markets.

What experience were candidates assessed against?

Particular attention was given to candidates who had built technology teams from the ground up, operated in entrepreneurial environments, led technology functions through periods of rapid growth, implemented core platforms and infrastructure, and worked closely with founders and executive leadership teams — all directly relevant to a business launching from scratch.

Did the project involve more than recruitment?

Yes. Given the organisation's size and stage at the time, we provided market intelligence covering technology leadership structures across luxury fashion brands, compensation benchmarking, organisational design considerations, availability of technology talent by geography, relocation trends within the luxury sector, and competitor talent mapping — helping the leadership team make informed decisions about how the future technology function should be structured, not just who to hire.

What was the outcome of the search?

The successful candidate was identified outside the UK and relocated from Europe to take up the role, bringing technology leadership expertise combined with experience building capabilities in high-growth, consumer-facing environments — giving Phoebe Philo the infrastructure, systems and team needed to support the brand's launch and growth.

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