Birkenstock ropes in Evelyn Chua as MD for South-East Asia and Down Under

Birkenstock has appointed Evelyn Chua as managing director for South-East Asia and Down Under, effective July 1, 2024.

In this newly created position, Birkenstock said, Chua will lead, from the company’s regional headquarters in Singapore, a region which includes Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, and New Zealand. She reports to Klaus Baumann, chief sales officer, Birkenstock Group.

“While expanding our presence online, I want to maintain a strong relationship with our distributors, who have been instrumental in our growth. Our brand enjoys a strong awareness in the region. I am convinced that its margin for growth is still enormous,” said Evelyn Chua.

The company added that with over 15 years’ experience in the retail industry, spanning across multiple categories in fashion, beauty, wines, spirits, watches and jewellery, and across offline and online channels, Evelyn Chua is an expert in developing strong relationships with all distributors and retail-store partners, identifying opportunities, planning and executing concrete plans, and managing talents.

Commenting on the new appointment, Klaus Baumann said: “South-East Asia is a region with a huge growth potential. With a very strong online and offline retail experience, I am convinced that Evelyn Chua is the perfect leader to manage our presence in this very important region.”

After studying in Singapore and Sweden, Chua has worked six years for DFS Venture, Hong Kong-based travel retailer of luxury goods, where she led the Singapore and Myanmar region. In 2022, she joined Synagie which runs over 1000 e-stores in seven markets in South-East Asia, for 600 brand partners, including Nike, Estee Lauder, and L’Oréal.