Portmeirion Group makes leadership change

Portmeirion Group has promoted executives Michael Close and Joe Fittipaldi upon the departure of its president, Bill Robedee.

Robedee, who had been with Portmeirion Group since 2019, and with Nambé, now a Portmeirion Group brand, for five years prior to that, has left the company to return to practicing corporate and commercial law.

Close has been named president of sales. He was previously senior vice president of sales and has been with the company for 13 years.

Fittipaldi has been named president of finance. He was previously senior vice president of finance.

Close and Filipatti will work together to drive the U.S. and Canadian business for Portmeirion Group, which is based in the U.K. and whose brands include Portmeirion, Royal Worcester, Spode and Nambé.

“I’m excited about the opportunity,” Close told HFN. “Portmeirion and Spode are longstanding brands; we’re writing the next chapter in the book. We have a good foundation set in place. We will continue to run with it.”

Portmeirion Group CEO Mike Raybould has identified independent retail sales as an opportunity for growth, and Close said he was excited to build business with the company’s existing partners while attracting new ones.

January’s Atlanta Market will be a big show for the company, according to Close. It will launch made-in-England extensions to Christmas Tree, one of its long-standing and best-known Spode patterns. It will also introduce new pieces to Portmeirion’s Botanic Garden and Sophie Conran collections, and is gearing up for the 75^th anniversary of Nambé in 2026.

On the eve of Thanksgiving, Close, a tabletop veteran who in addition to Portmeirion has worked at Mikasa and as a tabletop buyer at Boscov’s, said he loves the role the tabletop business plays in family gatherings. “I love our brands. I love what I do. We try to build memories around the table for people. That’s what keeps me interested and excited.”