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Scott Kay Inc. names new president
Michael Benavente, the former managing director of Gucci watches and jewelry in the Americas, will take the helm at the brand.
Former Gucci executive Michael Benavente is the new president of Scott Kay Inc., which was acquired by manufacturer Frederick Goldman earlier this year.
New York--Michael Benavente, a longtime industry executive who has worked for brands including Gucci, Longines and Movado, has been named the new president of Scott Kay.
Benavente comes to Scott Kay after a short stint at the International Luxury Group (ILG) Americas, where he spent three months opening the ILG’s first subsidiary in the Americas. Headquartered in Paris and Switzerland, ILG is a jewelry, watch and accessories company whose brands include Christian Lacroix and Kenzo Time.
Prior to that, he served as the managing director of Gucci Group Watches & Jewelry for the Americas region for nearly 11 years, overseeing all aspects of the Italian brand’s watch and jewelry business in North and South America.
He launched Gucci jewelry at wholesale in the region and led the team to improve both quality of accounts and average sales per POS in the timepiece category.
Before joining Gucci, Benavente was president of Longines USA for eight years, during which time he headed the re-launch of the Swatch Group-owned brand in the U.S. He spent another eight years at Movado Group Inc. as a vice president, where he helped the company bring its ESQ division to market.
“Michael has proven success and a solid background in building strong luxury brands, expanding profitable distribution and assembling inter-disciplinary teams,” Jonathan Goldman, Frederick Goldman Inc. chairman and CEO, said in a news release. “His dedication to cultivating growth and trust at the retail level make him an ideal leader to evolve the Scott Kay brand.”
Manufacturer Frederick Goldman acquired the brand assets of Scott Kay in February.
The brand’s namesake, designer Scott Kay, died of a heart attack at the age of 57 in December.
Scott Kay’s former CEO David Minster was let go at the time of the acquisition. Frederick Goldman executive Adam Gurian had been heading the brand on an interim basis.
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