In just three months Gucci president and chief executive officer Francesca Bellettini has been reshaping and reinforcing the company’s management structure, expected to help the brand’s turnaround under artistic director Demna.
Sure, the designer’s arrival from Balenciaga and his debut “La Famiglia” collection in September brought new energy and buzz to Gucci, but Bellettini is clearly conscious that he needs an organization that will support the merchandising, marketing and communication of the collections.
Hence her quick moves after her appointment in September. Bellettini created a new position, filled in November by Dario Gargiulo, previously CEO of Bottega Veneta in Greater China. He took on the role of Gucci’s chief client, marketing and commercial officer, reporting to Bellettini. This signaled that Bellettini was eyeing a more client-centric organization, with a commercial strategy across all distribution channels.
After all, Bellettini herself has plenty of experience in different business areas. Previously Kering’s deputy CEO in charge of brand development, and CEO of Saint Laurent, multiplying its size nearly sixfold from 2013 until January last year, she started her career as an investment banker who segued into business development, and later communications and merchandising for fashion houses including Prada, Gucci and Bottega Veneta.
As Gargiulo arrived, Maria Cristina Lomanto, Gucci’s president of Europe, the Middle East and Africa since May, left the company. Chief commercial officer Cayetano Fabry succeeded Lomanto as head of the EMEA region.
In her new role at Gucci, Bellettini also developed a structure whereby all of the company’s regional presidents report directly to her.
Gucci pre-fall 2026
Fabrizio Martinelli/WWD
Other steps included the appointment in December of Gianluca De Ficchy as Gucci’s chief financial officer, reporting to Bellettini, and succeeding Alberto Valente, whose title was chief financial, data and operations officer, and who worked at Gucci for 17 years.
Like Luca de Meo, who took on the role of CEO of parent company Kering on Sept. 15, De Ficchy joins Gucci from the automotive industry. He was most recently CEO of Mobilize within the Renault Group and was chairman of the board of directors of RCI Banque SA.
Another automotive executive, Giovanni Perosino, joined Gucci in December as senior vice president marketing, reporting to Gargiulo. He was previously global chief marketing officer at Maserati. He has more than 25 years of experience in brand strategy, marketing and communications and throughout his career has held senior leadership roles at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Audi, Lamborghini and ITA Airways.
As reported, de Meo spent five years leading Renault and boasts a total of 30 years in the automobile industry at brands including Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Toyota, Volkswagen and Seat.
The recent appointments come as Valérie Leberichel has exited Gucci, which she joined at the end of December 2024 as senior vice president of global communications. She was recruited by and reported to then-CEO Stefano Cantino.
Gucci logged a better-than-expected performance in the third quarter. Organic sales fell 14 percent in the three months to Sept. 30, beating a company-compiled consensus forecast of a 16 percent decline. This compared with a 25 percent drop for Gucci in the second quarter.
