Former CMO now KYHA Studios CEO goes for growth with retail expansion and digital acceleration

Claire Murphy

A rebrand, retail network expansion and digital acceleration are all firmly in the sights of KYHA Studios recently installed CEO and former Tabcorp and William Hill marketing chief, Claire Murphy.  

Murphy made the permanent step up from marketing to CEO and managing director with KYHA Studios (formerly One Day Bridal) in July. She told CMO the primary focus is to develop and implement a growth strategy for the business, lead the 30-strong KYHA Studios team and uncover efficiencies through growing scale and new process.  

“A member of the board of directors, key accountability is ensuring the overall success of the business, with the goal of capitalising on current growth momentum to deliver strong and sustained performance over time,” she said.  

Murphy spent about a year consulting into One Day Bridal before accepting the permanent top job in July. She had spent a couple of years consulting in a strategic capacity to several industries including gambling, luxury goods, retail and fashion.

Prior to this, Murphy was the CMO of Tabcorp, rising up to the c-suite role from GM marketing of the Keno and gambling division. Her resume also includes senior marketing roles with William Hill, Crown Resorts, the Melbourne Storm, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and Goodyear.

“I am not sure if you could get a bigger shift than some of the male dominated industries I have worked in to KYHA,” Murphy commented. “But the two common threads that run through organisations like Tabcorp, WWE and KYHA are the intense customer passion for the product and significant growth opportunity.”

Murphy noted the strategy she’s been working to instill at KYHA resulted in a 25 per cent revenue lift and 60 per cent EBITDA growth in FY20.

“Over the course of that year, the scale of the opportunity at KYHA and the impact I could have on the business became crystal clear, making the decision [to become CEO and managing director] an easy one,” she said. “Equally as importantly, the opportunity to work with a talented group of good people was very exciting - being able to contribute to a strong culture is personally very important."

Credit: Claire Murphy

Key priorities for Murphy include rebranding the business to KYHA Studios, a task currently underway that will give it the opportunity to expand the label beyond bridal and into the fashion space, she said.

Retail network expansion is also afoot, with a new Sydney store set to open in mid-November and further expansion to follow. The business’ flagship boutique store is based in Melbourne. International wholesale network growth is another ambition, and Murphy pointed to the US and Europe as its key markets.  

Like many retailers, expansion of digital offerings and implementation of an omnichannel customer experience is also a must, Murphy said.

KYHA Studios is a Melbourne-based business. Its KYHA and Chosen by KYHA collections are now available in over 20 countries.

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