Ralph Lauren Corporation announced the appointment of Bob Ranftl as Chief Operating Officer (COO) effective March 30, 2025, succeeding Jane Nielsen, whose planned departure was previously announced as part of a multi-year strategic succession plan. Ranftl, who joined Ralph Lauren in 2015 and has served in multiple financial and commercial roles within the Company, is currently the Regional Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for North America. He will be succeeded in this role by Mercedes Abramo, who will join the Company on March 1, 2025.
Ranftl has held successive leadership roles at Ralph Lauren across multiple regions including as COO of North America, Asia Pacific and EMEA, bringing deep understanding of the Company's strategy, brand, and value chain, and how key operating functions enable the business to deliver Ralph's vision. In his most recent role as Regional CEO for North America, Ranftl oversaw strategic expansion across key cities, direct-to-consumer entry into the Canadian market, and strategic repositioning of wholesale, putting the region back on a path for growth. As COO, Ranftl will oversee IT, logistics, real estate, architecture, and store design, as well as the Company's licensing organization, and will play a key role in enabling continued growth in the regions.
Abramo joins Ralph Lauren from Cartier S.A., where she most recently served as Deputy Chief Commercial Officer. In her role as Regional CEO for North America, Abramo returns to New York, where her retail leadership career began, starting as Director of Cartier's Fifth Avenue, before becoming Vice President of Retail and then President and CEO of Cartier North America. Ranftl and Abramo will serve as members of the Company's enterprise leadership team, reporting to Patrice Louvet.