Ongoing executive changes mark a period of transition for the luxury fashion house
Gucci has announced further organizational changes as the luxury brand continues to restructure under president and chief executive officer Francesca Bellettini and creative director Demna.
Gianluca de Ficchy has been named chief financial officer, effective immediately. De Ficchy will report to Bellettini and succeeds Alberto Valente, who held the title of chief financial, data and operations officer at Gucci and served the company for 17 years.
De Ficchy’s background includes several leadership positions in the automotive industry. Most recently, he was CEO of Mobilize within the Renault Group and chaired the board of directors of RCI Banque SA. His career began at Ernst & Young, before progressing through roles at RCI Bank and Services, as well as key positions with FCA and Nissan.
Parent company Kering recently appointed Luca de Meo as CEO on September 15. De Meo spent five years as head of Renault and has a 30-year career in the automotive sector, including posts at Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Seat.
Separately, Gucci has confirmed the departure of Valérie Leberichel, who had joined the company at the end of December last year as senior vice president of global communications. Leberichel was initially recruited by and reported to then-CEO Stefano Cantino. Gucci confirmed her departure but did not disclose plans for her replacement.
Leberichel has over 27 years of experience in marketing and communication strategy. She previously served as global vice president of communications at Givenchy, starting in 2022. Earlier, she began her career as PR manager at Jean Louis Scherrer, moved on to become communications director at Issey Miyake Europe, and worked as communication manager at Celine for more than a decade. In 2013, Leberichel joined the Prada Group as worldwide communications and external relations director for Miu Miu. By 2019, she was responsible for global communications for Miu Miu and led communications for Prada France.
In other recent changes at Gucci, Dario Gargiulo, formerly CEO of Bottega Veneta in Greater China, assumed the newly created position of chief client, marketing and commercial officer in mid-November. Gargiulo reports directly to Bellettini, reflecting an increased focus on client relations within the organization.
At the same time, Maria Cristina Lomanto, who had been president of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa since May, has left Gucci. Lomanto joined the company in 2022 from Roger Vivier and initially served as executive vice president and brand general manager, working closely with Demna’s predecessor Sabato De Sarno. Chief commercial officer Cayetano Fabry has since taken on leadership of the EMEA region.