New Zealand kids’s shoes emblem Bobux has appointed Monica Yianakis, former Strategic Innovation Director at Lion, because the corporation’s new CEO this month.

Bobux Board of Directors Chairperson, Paul Connell, says the corporation is pleased to have Monica take Bobux into its subsequent segment of life. “Monica’s enormous purchaser items and retail experience, mixed with strategic management and emblem expertise, will increase our music file of world increase,” he says.

Bobux started 30 years in the past in an Auckland storage after its founders desired to make comfortable, elegant footwear that had been suitable for his or her kids’s ft. It’s now an omnichannel international commercial enterprise in forty three markets across the international, such as US, UK and Europe.

Connell says he believes Monica will assist raise the corporation into a first-rate worldwide emblem, to end up called one of the international’s main kids’s shoe agencies. “We’re excited to peer Monica’s technology-focused, futurist attitude in motion withinside the Bobux operation,” he says.

Yianakis involves Bobux from Lion (a Kirin subsidiary) in which she held more than one management roles, maximum lately as Strategic Innovation Director and Retail Director in which she led a group of workers of 2 hundred employees. Prior to Lion, Yianakis held senior roles at Frucor, Nestle and Danone.

 Yianakis says she become enticed via way of means of the mission of growing Bobux right into a own circle of relatives family name, worldwide. “The capacity for those modern footwear is huge, at the same time as they’re already being worn from New Zealand to Germany, there’s such a lot of greater little ft who could make their early life trips in Bobux footwear,” she says.

Since 2019, Bobux has skilled double-digit international increase and is a finalist withinside the 2021 [New Zealand] Westpac Business Awards for each Excellence in International Trade and Employer of the Year. Yianakis takes over from Acting CEO Matt Smith (presently CFO) who stepped in whilst Andrew Sharp departed in June 2021.

Founded in New Zealand in 1991, Bobux footwear at the moment are acknowledged and cherished internationally for his or her quality, consolation and foot health-centric layout. Bobux footwear are with kids thru each level in their foot development. Approved via way of means of podiatrists, examined via way of means of kids, and known via way of means of enterprise leaders with numerous layout awards, Bobux makes the first-class footwear withinside the international for developing ft.

Q&A with Monica Yianakis

What profession route led you to this function and whilst did you recognize you desired to guide a corporation?

My adventure to this point has been various however constantly with the purchaser and emblem at heart. I spent the primary 12 years of my profession in international FMCG Marketing, operating for agencies like Danone, Nestle, Suntory Frucor throughout New Zealand, UK and more than one European markets.

After my time in Marketing, I become eager to increase my talent set so joined Lion and spent the subsequent six years operating throughout Business Development, growing the start-up incubator ‘Lion Ventures’ after which main Lion’s Retail Business. This time truly stretched me to recognize all components of a commercial enterprise, however additionally strengthened for me the significance of being led via way of means of the purchaser.

I assume this become in some unspecified time in the future in my later Marketing years that I determined I desired to guide a corporation. I have been fortunate to paintings with a few super leaders who had had a transformational effect on a number of the agencies I had labored in. That’s what I determined I desired to do – as a Marketer, I constantly desired to go away a emblem or portfolio in a higher location than I picked it up. As a frontrunner of a commercial enterprise, the equal is true – I love the concept of gambling your element in strengthening an entity and leaving it in higher stead with a brighter destiny.

What dreams do you’ve got got for Bobux?

I’m so enthusiastic about the capacity that Bobux has – it’s an fantastic emblem, a first rate product and may truly make a distinction in humans’s lives. I’d love to peer us taking this kiwi achievement tale better and representing New Zealand in addition on the worldwide level.

We’re already represented in over forty international locations and experiencing robust yr-on-yr increase; I’d love to peer us take it to the subsequent degree via way of means of evolving and persevering with to over-supply what mother and father and kids are searching out across the international.

What is your largest energy as a frontrunner?

I assume it’s my capacity to deliver a crew collectively and align all our humans with a not unusualplace course. By operating with the crew to offer a clean photo of in which we’re going and the way we’re going to get there – I assume this offers our humans a actual feel of purpose. Then ensuring you stability that power to acquire our ambition with clearly taking part in the adventure and having a laugh alongside the way!

I paintings difficult to make certain I’ve supported the proper crew dynamic with a crew that’s transferring in the direction of an thrilling destiny – and having masses of guffaws alongside the way.

What attracted you to the Bobux emblem?

As a Mum to 2 younger girls, I become a devoted purchaser to Bobux footwear. I cherished each the layout of the footwear and the podiatrist endorsement – I truly felt that via way of means of shopping for those footwear, I become doing the first-class component for my kids. So whilst the possibility got here as much as paintings with the Bobux crew, I jumped at it. I love the concept that I’m gambling a element in supporting destiny generations have the first-class begin to their life. It’s some thing I’m truly proud of.

As a determine of small kids – are you able to provide a few perception on how this may be a bonus for you on this role?

 I assume due to the fact I even have younger kids, I recognize the juggle of parenting. I recognize how tough and on the equal time, rewarding, parenting is and the truth that there are masses of factors that want to be taken into consideration whilst you’re making any choices to your kids. I additionally recognize that as a determine, you’ll do the entirety you likely can to assist your kids and provide them the first-class start!

I desire that this offers me the capacity to recognize all of the components which might be essential to mother and father whilst making their shoes choices for the kids – and making sure we strive to do our first-class in some of these elements, in order that we assist make the choices simpler for mother and father across the international.

What is the important thing to developing and retaining a international commercial enterprise on this climate?

I assume there’s 3 matters that I’m truly privy to withinside the modern climate – firstly, it’s all approximately conversation. As we’re a international commercial enterprise, we’ve crew individuals everywhere in the international and we need to hold absolutely each person feeling a part of this tight-knit crew. Having a truly robust conversation drumbeat and making sure absolutely each person is ‘withinside the loop’ is vital in accomplishing this. Also via way of means of doing this, we are able to offer the assist that humans want on this VUCA environment.

Next is having a shared imaginative and prescient of achievement – that is vital to make certain absolutely each person is operating withinside the equal course and is at the equal page. Lastly, as you could likely inform via way of means of the entirety I’ve stated up until now, we want to live near our consumers. If our guiding mild is to exceed their expectancies in all we do, then we’ll be learning, evolving and developing so one can take Bobux to the subsequent degree.