MILAN – The latest management change at Gucci sees Massimo Vian join as chief industrial and supply chain officer, effective Jan. 15.
This is a new role at Gucci and signals the increasing attention Italian luxury goods companies are paying to controlling the organization and structure of the key manufacturing pipeline.
In his role, Vian will be responsible for overseeing the development and manufacturing processes of leather goods, shoes, ready-to-wear, and jewelry, Gucci said Friday. He will also supervise product allocation processes across the brand’s different sales channels. He will report to Gucci’s president and CEO Jean-François Palus.
Most recently, he was chief operating officer at Prada, which he joined in 2020 after a brief stint as CEO at cashmere brand Falconeri. Previously, he was chief executive officer for product and operations at Luxottica Group. He left the Italian giant eyewear manufacturer in 2017 after 13 years. He had initially joined Luxottica as head of industrial engineering. At the time of his exit, the late Leonardo Del Vecchio, founder of Luxottica, paid tribute to Vian, saying he had defined “a modern and innovative operations organization.”
At Prada Vian reunited with former Luxottica CEO Andrea Guerra, who joined Prada as Group CEO last January.
Vian’s appointment at Gucci follows the exit of Massimo Rigucci, CEO of ArtLab and leather goods after 23 years at the Florence-based brand, effective mid-January. ArtLab was unveiled in 2018 as Gucci’s first leather goods and shoes industrial complex in Scandicci, near Florence.
Gucci has been going through some major changes in human resources, following the exit of former creative director Alessandro Michele in November last year. He was succeeded by Sabato De Sarno in January.
Gucci president and CEO Marco Bizzarri, who was named to that role in December 2014, exited the group in September after tripling sales since 2015, which reached 9.73 billion euros last year.
Palus, previously Gucci parent Kering Group’s managing director, succeeded Bizzarri.
Francesca Bellettini, Saint Laurent CEO, was named a Kering deputy CEO, in charge of brand development. All Kering brand CEOs now report to Bellettini, who is tasked with steering them in their next stages of growth. In July, Jean-Marc Duplaix, chief financial officer since 2012, was also appointed a Kering deputy CEO, in charge of operations and finance.
Alessio Vannetti returned to Gucci as executive vice president, chief brand officer last September. Vannetti, who was Gucci’s worldwide communications director from 2015 to 2019, spent the last three and a half years at Valentino as its chief brand officer.
Back at Gucci, he took over duties from Susan Chokachi, who left the company after 25 years of service, most recently as executive vice president, chief brand and client officer.
