Luisa Delgado was appointed CEO of Safilo Group and Safilo S.p.A. in 2013. Prior to her role at Safilo, Delgado spent more than 21 years at Procter & Gamble (P&G), where she worked in several local and international roles based in Portugal, the U.K., Belgium, Switzerland, and Sweden. In her last role at P&G, as vice president and CEO for the Nordic region, she was responsible for the turnaround of the P&G business there.

WHAT ARE SAFILO’S KEY GLOBAL GOALS FOR 2017?

Balancing, focusing, and differentiating, while simplifying, is the cornerstone of our 2020 strategy. We will continue being product innovators, delivering exceptional quality as we pursue the fueling of a balanced portfolio that fulfills the entire spectrum of end-consumer demand and provides mutual value for our customers in five key segments: Fashion Luxury, Contemporary/Lifestyle, Mass Cool, Sports/Outdoor, and Atelier.

Commercially speaking, our goal is to work side by side with our customers to support their sell-through and their consumer guidance so we can grow together. And, in terms of technology, we are placing significant focus on the sun lenses arena, providing a range that extends from the hottest trends in decorated lenses to the technology of the original polarized Polaroid lenses and Smith ChromaPop lenses.

WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST OPPORTUNITIES FOR SAFILO MOVING FORWARD IN THE U.S.?

We have clearly defined the brands in our portfolio that play into Gucci’s offer, now that our license has expired. Our go-forward strategy is to continue to grow our brands organically and overproportionally, while acquiring new brands—such as rag & bone, Moschino, and Love Moschino (all launching in 2018)— to widen our offer consistently and without overlap.

We believe in strong brands with unique equity DNA, translated into equally unique recognizable eyewear product design, distributed in clearly targeted channels.

We see solid market growth in the highest-end Atelier category, with the January 2017 launch of collections for Elie Saab and OXYDO, and in the Mass/Cool segment where Polaroid continues to progress—as well as Havaianas, which will launch in March. We also see the Contemporary segment accelerating, where Carrera plays.

WHAT IS YOUR VIEW OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FACING INDEPENDENT EYECARE PROFESSIONALS TODAY?

We see market consolidation, a changing managed care landscape, a growing optical chain presence, and emerging e-commerce as some of the biggest challenges.

HOW CAN EYECARE PROFESSIONALS BEST ADDRESS THESE CHALLENGES IN TODAY’S HIGHLY COMPETITIVE MARKETPLACE?

Safilo can support and enable the ECPs with the following to provide them with a competitive edge in this challenging environment, with product differentiation being paramount: 1. Market-leading product. 2. A strong and wide brand portfolio, across all segments to address any consumer’s brand request, backed by a recommended core collection of best-selling styles. 3. Trade marketing tools, including e-commerce for omni-channel to drive traffic and sales conversion, and, as of mid-2017, the release of SMILE, our proprietary technology category management system. 4. A win-win commercial partnership enabling ECPs to choose which Safilo brands they carry versus conditional selling. 5. Incentivized support with transparent trade terms on Safilo brands with margin-enhancing investments that increase with the number of Safilo brands carried.

—Erinn Morgan