Sara Donninelli, the Italian executive tasked with elevating Mango's brand aspiration

Spanish multinational Mango is strengthening its management team with the appointment of Sara Donninelli as its new chief brand officer and a member of the management committee. She is tasked with the challenge of consolidating the brand's identity and projecting it towards new global horizons.

Donninelli succeeds Spanish executive Blanca Muñiz in the role. Muñiz is leaving the company to pursue new professional projects, about which no further details have been provided.

“It is an honour to join a company with the history and ambition of Mango. After years of leading luxury brands, I take on this challenge with the enthusiasm to contribute my global and strategic vision. My goal is to enhance the brand's unique DNA and continue to elevate its value proposition to connect emotionally with our community worldwide,” Donninelli said in a statement.

The Italian executive joins from Estée Lauder and will assume her duties in the coming weeks. She will report directly to the chairman and CEO, Toni Ruiz. Donninelli will contribute her strategic vision to the Brand division, with the main objective of driving the Elevate pillar. This is one of the four cornerstones of Mango's 4E Strategic Plan 2024-2026, which aims to strengthen the brand's aspirational appeal and create emotional connections with customers.

Consolidated track record in global luxury brands

Sara Donninelli is a graduate in Industrial Organisation Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Milan and holds a professional certificate in Digital Marketing from New York University. She combines technical training with strategic experience in product development, storytelling and brand building, with over 20 years in the luxury cosmetics and fragrance sector. Her professional career includes key positions at The Estée Lauder Companies, Coty and L’Oréal Luxe.

In her last role as senior vice president and global general manager of the Luxury Fragrance Portfolio at Estée Lauder, she led brands such as Kilian Paris and Éditions de Parfums Frédéric Malle. She strengthened their international expansion and consolidated their global positioning.

Previously, Donninelli held senior positions at Estée Lauder, contributing to the development of Estée Lauder and Tom Ford Beauty. At Coty, she managed brands such as Calvin Klein and Tiffany & Co., while at L’Oréal Luxe she was responsible for product and brand strategies for firms such as Diesel; Ralph Lauren; Maison Martin Margiela; Stella McCartney and Biotherm.

The appointment comes at a key moment for Mango. The company closed 2025 with a turnover of 3.77 billion euros, up 13 percent on the previous year. It also saw a 26 percent increase in its brand value, according to the Kantar BrandZ 2025 ranking.