IMG NAMES IVAN BART PRESIDENT OF GLOBAL FASHION EVENTS, MADE TO MEASURE MEDIA PLATFORM
Global media company IMG has announced that Ivan Bart, currently president of IMG Models, will now oversee IMG’s global fashion events, Lens and Made to Measure (M2M) businesses in addition to his responsibilities at the helm of IMG Models.
Bart joined IMG Models as creative director in 1994 and rose in the ranks to become president following WME’s acquisition of IMG in 2014. During his tenure, IMG Models has expanded to become an international leader in talent discovery and model management, widely recognized for its high-profile, diverse client roster. Operating out of New York, London, Los Angeles, Paris, Milan and Sydney, IMG Models’ roster includes Alek Wek, Ashley Graham, Bella Hadid, Cameron Dallas, Cara Delevingne, Carolyn Murphy, Chrissy Teigen, Garrett Neff, Gigi Hadid, Gisele Bundchen, Halima Aden, Joan Smalls, Kaia Gerber, Karen Elson, Karlie Kloss, Kate Moss, Lauren Hutton, Lily Aldridge, Maria Borges, Miranda Kerr, Miles McMillan, Paloma Elsesser, Stephanie Seymour, Taylor Hill and Xiao Wen Ju.
“Ivan has proven himself time and again a truly creative and collaborative leader, and these businesses could not be in better hands moving forward,” said Mark Shapiro, co-president of WME and IMG. “I am thrilled to see his portfolio expand and look forward to witnessing more of his creativity at work.”
“I’m honored and excited for this new opportunity,” added Bart. “The fashion landscape is evolving, and in the same way we’ve advanced the conversation on race, size, age and gender inclusivity at IMG Models, I see many opportunities to elevate these conversations and champion new formats across events and brand partnerships that will benefit the entire fashion industry.”
As part of this transition, Leslie Russo, formerly senior vice president of Fashion Sales and Marketing, has been promoted to executive vice president, Fashion Partnerships and Marketing. Russo will play a key leadership role on Bart’s executive team, focused on securing and developing new and expanded commercial partners, branded content offerings, and marketing activations that continue to elevate IMG’s global fashion events portfolio. Additionally, she and Bart will work on the business and creative oversight of MADE.
Catherine Bennett, who led IMG’s fashion events business for the last five years, will be departing the company in June to relocate to Washington, DC.
IMG’s global portfolio of fashion businesses includes 30+ fashion events, The Wall Group, Art + Commerce, IMG Models, Made to Measure (M2M) and Lens.
