Gucci recalls Alessio Vannetti as chief brand officer

Alessio Vannetti has not remained inactive for long. After announcing he was stepping down from the post of chief brand officer of Valentino in July, the Italian executive has returned to Gucci, where he had worked as global director of communication between 2015 and 2019. The Kering group’s leading brand, currently in the midst of a relaunch phase, has appointed Vannetti as executive vice-president and chief brand officer.

 
He succeeds Susan Chokachi, formerly executive vice-president and chief brand and client officer, who has left the Italian luxury label after 25 years. “Highly respected for her leadership, brand vision and commercial impact in various roles, notably as president and CEO of the Americas region between 2016 and 2022, Chokachi has helped Gucci strengthen its corporate culture and has contributed to boosting the label’s position as industry leader in terms of global impact through Gucci Changemakers, through the Chime for Change campaign for gender parity, and the Gucci Global Equity Board,” the label stated in a press release.
 
Vannetti starts in his new role on Monday September 4, and will report to Jean-François Palus, who was recently put in charge of Gucci, as part of an in-depth executive reshuffle. “[Vannetti] will lead the team responsible for brand management and customer engagement, overseeing the brand’s strategy and image, communications, metaverse projects and customer engagement activities,” Gucci indicated in a press release.

With Vannetti’s appointment, Gucci has completed the overhaul of its senior executive team. Last year, the label’s performance was below expectations, and in H1 2023 its sales fell by 1% to €5.12 billion, while current operating income dropped by 4%, to €1.81 billion. At the end of 2022, Kering dismissed Gucci’s iconic creative director Alessandro Michele. His successor, Sabato De Sarno, will unveil his first collection for the label on September 22. The following day, current CEO Marco Bizzarri will officially hand over the reins to Palus, who has been tasked with righting the label’s course and finding a new helmsman.
 
By calling upon Vannetti, Gucci is looking to tap his experience and in-depth knowledge of the brand. Vannetti is also well-acquainted with De Sarno. Like Vannetti, De Sarno previously worked at Valentino, where he was in charge of the men’s and women’s collections. Vannetti is an experienced luxury industry executive, and began his career at Costume National. He notably held senior communications posts at the Zegna group and at Prada. After a first stint at Gucci, he joined Valentino in 2020 as chief brand officer.
 
“His huge experience working for leading fashion labels, combined with his profound understanding of Gucci’s heritage, make him the ideal choice to lead our brand into the future. Alessio will be working closely with myself, Sabato and the entire team to write a new chapter for the label, focusing on Gucci’s heritage, its values and brand image,” said Palus.