Vietri has promoted Holli Draughn to president and named Mark Gabriel as the company’s COO, in addition to his current role as CFO.
According to the company, Draughn brings 12 years of experience at Vietri, most recently serving as vp/sales and marketing. She will lead the execution of strategy and will leverage her experience and expertise to position the company for continued growth in the tabletop and home décor industry. Within her overall responsibility for the brand, Draughn will lead the sales, marketing, customer service, and product design teams, Vietri added.
“Continuous improvements, constant progress—those are our goals,” said Draughn. “This year is Lastra’s 10th anniversary, next year is Vietri’s 40th anniversary, we are exploring special projects, and finding new twists on old favorites. Incredible things are in store for Vietri and I’m so thrilled to be a part of the journey.”
After a decade with the company, Gabriel will continue to concentrate on the fiscal strength of Vietri as CFO and will lead the operations team of finance, purchasing and distribution as COO. With Gabriel taking on the position of COO, Vietri said the operations team has been restructured to ensure operational excellence will continue to be achieved.
Within the new structure, Jeff Black, formerly vp/distribution, has been named vp/procurement and Jeff Campbell will lead the recently expanded warehouse team as warehouse manager. Additional staff has been hired in the customer service, product design, and marketing departments as well.
According to Susan Gravely, founder and CEO of Vietri, the promotions set the foundation for the company’s future goals as it continues to grow while maintaining its mission of creating classically beautiful handpainted, mouthblown, and handsewn products with Italian inspiration.
“We are proud of our service and our relationship with our vendors and customers. We want change to be in anticipation, not in reflection,” said Gravely. “These changes will inspire more teamwork as well as independent decision making and will enable every employee to feel more focused on bringing world-class expertise and enjoyment into their roles and into the lives of others. The Vietri family has always enjoyed working hard, working smart, and working together, and we want that to continue.”
