Former Li & Fung Executive Vice President to drive eShopWorld expansion across EMEA and APAC following unprecedented growth in cross-border ecommerce sales during 2020
eShopWorld (ESW), the leading cross-border ecommerce technology and services provider, today announces the appointment of Martim Avillez Oliveira as Chief Commercial Officer, EMEA and APAC.
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“2020 saw historic growth in year-on-year cross-border ecommerce sales and reinforced the importance of international ecommerce for the retail industry as an enabler to meet customer demand at its point of origin while mitigating against fluctuations in local markets”
Oliveira is a former Executive Vice President at global supply chain and logistics specialist, Li & Fung, has 15 years of industry experience in retail and global sourcing, having worked with the world’s leading fashion brands and retailers, including Inditex, Marks & Spencer, J.Crew and Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof, managing end-to-end supply chains.
In his new role, Oliveira will drive forward ESW’s strategic growth and development with a focus on crafting routes to market within and between the EMEA and APAC that enable retailers and brands to meet the huge latent demand for direct-to-consumer (D2C) engagement in these territories. Oliveira previously served as a member of ESW’s Retail Advisory Council, providing strategic guidance and amplifying the company’s cross-border ecommerce proposition globally.
“2020 saw historic growth in year-on-year cross-border ecommerce sales and reinforced the importance of international ecommerce for the retail industry as an enabler to meet customer demand at its point of origin while mitigating against fluctuations in local markets,” said Tommy Kelly, CEO of ESW.
“ESW saw significant growth in demand from consumers in Asian countries, with the Philippines in particular being one of the fastest growing global markets last year for brands and retailers using our technology and services to sell internationally. Martim’s insights, expertise and relationships across both APAC and the EMEA will allow us to expand our reach in these territories, whose emerging middle class will be a significant driver of global demand for Western brands within a short period of time. As a member of the ESW Advisory Council, Martim has already had a significant role in realising our global expansion strategy in these markets and we are very excited to formally welcome him as part of our global leadership team during this time of unprecedented opportunity.”
During his time at Li & Fung, Oliveira, who lived in Hong Kong for 10 years, held full P&L responsibility for business units to excess of $800 million cost of goods and achieved a strong track record of generating year-on-year growth and revenue. He also coordinated the group business development activities in Europe and the US.
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“The events of last year have clearly shown retail brands need to mitigate risks, diversify and balance their distribution to thrive. As home to eight of the world’s ten largest megacities, Asia, which has a growing digitally native middle class in all countries who are brand and status hungry, offers enormous expansion opportunities for both established heritage and emerging disruptor brands,” commented Oliveira.
“But many of these brands don’t have the digital capabilities, local expertise or capital required to fully leverage international opportunities and, while it may be tempting to look toward marketplaces as a route to these markets, we know the highest value cross-border shoppers want to engage with and buy directly from brands. ESW offers a seamless end-to-end solution that helps brands capitalise on this golden era for direct-to-consumer, cross-border ecommerce.”
Oliveira concluded: “Having been at the forefront of design, product development, global sourcing and production management, ESW represents the next mile in the journey. It’s the upstream part of the chain, moving from physical to digital, focusing on getting goods to international markets, looking at the most cost-effective route and solutions, while delivering fully localised shopping experiences to consumers around the world.”
In addition to his role at ESW, Oliveira is also non-executive and an advisor to Tiger Chark, a New York based strategic Advisory firm, and a member of the board of the Portuguese – Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
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