Laurent Milchior, president of the family-owned lingerie group Etam, has chosen to promote from within to lead the group’s flagship brand. The departure of Marie Schott, deputy managing director since her return to the French company in 2023, was announced in November and takes effect at the start of 2026. Marie Delahaie, current managing director of Undiz, a role she has held since mid-2024, will take the reins at Etam in May, the group told FashionNetwork.com.

Since her arrival, the 40-year-old has significantly transformed the Undiz brand, overhauling its image and setting out a plan to renovate more than 150 stores across France. The executive is a product specialist who gained her first experience in the luxury sector at Lanvin and Balenciaga. She joined the Etam group after holding roles at Zadig & Voltaire and Lacoste.

“Marie Delahaie’s appointment as Etam’s managing director forms part of a growth trajectory and renewed ambition. Her ability to build and carry a brand vision, her exacting standards in execution and her management approach, grounded in cross-functional collaboration and the strength of the collective, have already proved their worth at Undiz,” says Laurent Milchior in a press release, while the group adds that he will serve as interim managing director of the brand and that Marie Delahaie will begin refining her vision for Etam from February, while retaining her current duties as managing director of Undiz.

As the group searches for a new leader to head Undiz, the group’s second-largest brand, which is said to account for almost a quarter of its sales, Marie Delahaie is expected to keep a close eye on its progress.

“I would like to thank Laurent Milchior for his confidence. I am delighted to be joining Etam from May. This transition begins immediately, with the aim of collectively building a clear vision, true to the brand’s DNA, while supporting its momentum. I will also remain fully committed alongside the Undiz teams to ensure robust continuity and to support the continuation of the work under way.”

According to management, she will “play a key role within the Etam Group’s lingerie governance, in order to guarantee the strategic coherence between Etam and Undiz and to preserve the complementary nature of their positioning.” The group reported revenue of €892 million with its Etam and Undiz brands, as well as Maison 1,2,3 and Ysé, and is a shareholder in the Livy brand.

“This change in governance will also strengthen the strategic complementarity between Etam and Undiz, with their differentiated and complementary positioning, in the service of coherent, high-performance development within the group,” adds Laurent Milchior.

There will be numerous challenges for Marie Delahaie, as Etam accounts for more than half of the French group’s activity and faces the rollout of its new store concept, the scaling up of its responsible offering, the integration of new tools to build its ranges, and the defence of its French home turf, where the lingerie market is in decline in 2025, as well as asserting its positions in its main export markets.