Steve Madden has appointed Arian Simone and Peter Davis to its board of directors.

Simone is currently chief executive of Fearless Fund,  a venture capital fund that invests in women of colour-led businesses, which she co-founded in 2018. Prior to that, she was the owner of AR PR Marketing, a publicity and marketing strategy firm.

Meanwhile, Davis has over 30 years’ experience in the footwear and apparel sector, after holding executive leadership positions in sales and marketing with Skechers, Fila, Reebok, Joy & Mario and Dynasty Footwear. He also founded The Infamous Black Sheep Brand, an urban action sports lifestyle brand.

The appointments mean that the Steve Madden board has been expanded to include 11 directors, nine of whom are independent.