DREST founder Lucy Yeomans retakes CEO reins

Lucy Yeomans, founder and co-chair, of luxury styling mobile gaming platform DREST is to re-take the CEO reins as Lisa Bridgett stands down for personal reasons.

Bridgett joined DREST in 2019 as CMO and was elevated to CEO in February 2022. During the time the platform has secured an additional £15 million that will enable its evolution across gaming, media, data and e-commerce, as the company prepares for the global roll-out in 2024 of DREST version two.

A seasoned fashion executive, Bridgett had spent many years in senior roles at companies, such as Net-A-Porter, Ralph Lauren and The Modist. She will remain an adviser to DREST.

She said she was leaving to dedicate more time to her family. "After five exceptional years of working with such a uniquely talented team at DREST and partnering with the inimitable Lucy Yeomans, I have decided to invest time in my sons, my husband and myself.

"I will pause momentarily on a career spanning 30 years, of which I am immensely proud and grateful. DREST is in an incredible position – we are the leading luxury lifestyle mobile game in the market with a new technology platform and feature set being readied for players who have embraced the merging of gaming, luxury fashion and media,” Bridgett said.

Yeomans, who is a well-known figure in fashion having edited Harpers Bazaar and held the position of global content director at Net-A-Porter, will temporarily take back the CEO reins while she and co-chair Graham Edwards work with an executive search firm to find a replacement.

She said of the news: “I am immensely grateful for the commitment, passion, vision and expertise that Lisa has brought to the business  - it has been a fantastic experience working  so closely with her during this period of intense growth for DREST. In the last two years we have cemented our position as the ultimate luxury fashion styling game, delivering growth on our user base by 250% year-on-year and expanded our list of brands working with the game to over 250.

"With our recent round of investment, some exciting new hires and the development of an augmented version of the game which will launch next year, I am excited about the future of the company and have full confidence in our Executive Board and Leadership Team to deliver the next phase of the DREST strategy.”

Yeomans had stepped back from the CEO role in 2022 to take up the co-chair role and to focus on strategic product, partnerships, brand and creative development. She established DREST in 2019 and the platform, which combines gamification, advertising and data strategy opportunities for brands, has gone on to collaborate with some of the biggest names in fashion,  beauty and luxury from Fendi to Valentino, Prada and Loewe to Gucci Beauty, NARS and Cartier.