Aura Blockchain Consortium, the global luxury blockchain founded by LVMH, Prada and Cartier, has announced the appointment of Daniela Ott as its General Secretary. Ott will report directly to the Consortium’s Board of Directors.
Ott spent 13 years of her career at Kering, latterly as CEO of the Tomas Maier fashion house and previously as director of strategy at its Gucci and Balenciaga brands. She also holds a doctorate in consumer behavior.
“I am thrilled to join Aura Blockchain Consortium, a visionary collaboration initiated by LVMH, Prada Group and Cartier, to drive change in the luxury industry by addressing the shared challenges of communicating authenticity, responsible sourcing and sustainability in a secure digital format,” said Daniela Ott.
Ott’s mission at Aura is to make blockchain accessible for all brands and push forward existing standards for traceability in the supply chain.
Potential future expansion of the Consortium is certainly within Ott’s vision. After recently being approached by a luxury furniture maker, Ott mentioned the possibility of broadening operations from leather goods, watches and jewelry to perfume, luxury wines, cars and yachts, talking to Women’s Wear Daily.
Initially developed in 2019 by LVMH, it was joined by fashion conglomerates Prada Group and Richemont’s Cartier to create the consortium earlier this year. The solution is a blockchain system that allows consumers to access product history and proof of authenticity of luxury goods. Since its founding, additional objectives of responsible sourcing and sustainability have been added as these are increasingly demanded by discerning consumers.
Bulgari, Cartier, Hublot, Louis Vuitton and Prada are already members of the consortium, with Ott revealing that two brands will be onboarded in the coming months.
Meanwhile, the Consortium faces competition from other luxury blockchain ventures such as Arianee, which recently completed a $9.5 million seed funding round. Richemont brand Vacheron Constantin has used the solution.
