Francesca Bellettini, chief executive officer of Gucci, is reinforcing and streamlining top management ranks as the Italian fashion house gears up for a renaissance under new creative director Demna, WWD has learned.
Dario Gargiulo, currently CEO of Bottega Veneta in Greater China, is to become Gucci‘s chief client, marketing and commercial officer, a new post reporting to Bellettini — and a strong signal that she is keen to construct a more client-centric organization.
Bottega Veneta and Gucci are both controlled by French luxury group Kering.
Gargiulo’s appointment at Gucci, effective Nov. 15, was made Tuesday via an internal announcement seen by WWD.
It is understood he will lead the brand and commercial strategy across all distribution channels and consumer touch points, charged with fostering a holistic, client-centric approach, strengthening brand awareness, enhancing customer experiences and maximizing revenue growth.
Among the company functions that will report into Gargiulo are retail excellence, digital business and client services, client engagement, product care, store planning and architectural services, wholesale, licensing, marketing and communication.
Meanwhile, all of Gucci’s regional presidents will now report directly to Bellettini.
The management changes come less than six weeks after Bellettini, one of Kering’s most visible and accomplished executives, was tasked with turning around Gucci amid a morose climate for luxury players.
Francesca Bellettini
Marco Cella/Courtesy of Kering
Bellettini was previously Kering’s deputy CEO in charge of brand development and is best known for her long tenure leading Saint Laurent, multiplying the size of that business nearly sixfold.
Gargiulo has been head of Bottega Veneta in Greater China for two-and-a-half years, previously serving as its chief marketing and digital business officer in Milan for the same length of time, and before that two years as its chief marketing officer.
He has also been chief marketing officer at Diesel and spent nearly 12 years at Heineken in the Netherlands and Brazil with titles including global marketing communications officer and premium brand director, according to his LinkedIn profile.
In tandem with his arrival, Maria Cristina Lomanto, Gucci’s president of Europe, the Middle East and Africa since May, is to leave the company. Lomanto, who had joined Gucci in 2022 from Roger Vivier, first held the title of Gucci’s executive vice president, brand general manager, working closely with Demna’s predecessor Sabato De Sarno.
Meanwhile, chief commercial officer Cayetano Fabry is to succeed Lomanto as head of the EMEA region, leveraging his grasp of global and local perspectives. It is understood the chief commercial officer function at Gucci will be discontinued.
Bellettini is Gucci’s fourth CEO in the span of two years. Following the September 2023 exit of Marco Bizzarri — who had partnered with designer Alessandro Michele and grew Gucci to nearly 10 billion euros in revenues — Kering’s group managing director Jean-François Palus stepped in, only to be succeeded last January by Stefano Cantino, previously a Louis Vuitton communications executive.
An investment banker who segued into business development, and later communications and merchandising for fashion houses including Prada, Gucci and Bottega Veneta, Bellettini helmed the Saint Laurent brand from 2013 until last January.
Gucci has cooled off in recent years and has been posting sharp revenue declines, but logged a better-than-expected performance in the third quarter is proving a glimmer of hope.
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.
Exclusive pictures of Gucci spring 2026 collection by Demna.
Adam Katz Sinding/WWD
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