France's Louis Vuitton names Pietro Beccari as chairman & CEO

Delphine Arnault, executive vice president of Louis Vuitton since 2013 with responsibility for supervising all Louis Vuitton product-related activities, succeeds Pietro Beccari and becomes chairman and chief executive officer of Christian Dior Couture. Charles Delapalme, executive vice president of Christian Dior Couture in charge of commercial activities since 2018, is named managing director of Christian Dior Couture. Stéphane Bianchi, chairman and chief executive officer of the watches & jewellery division, will now also oversee Tiffany and Repossi, which join the watches & jewellery division of the LVMH group, the company said in a press release.

“Beccari has done an exceptional job at Christian Dior over the past five years. His leadership has accelerated the appeal and success of this iconic Maison. Monsieur Dior’s values of elegance and his innovative spirit have been given fresh intensity, supported by very talented designers. The reinvention of the historical boutique at 30 Montaigne is emblematic of this momentum. I am sure he will lead Louis Vuitton to the next level of success and desirability. I want to extend my warmest thanks to Burke, who has led the extraordinary success of Louis Vuitton during the past ten years. He has done a tremendous job developing this exceptional Maison. He has extended Louis Vuitton’s lead over competitors and promoted the heritage of Louis Vuitton while anchoring it in modernity. The cultural strength of Louis Vuitton has been fully affirmed. Burke attracted the most outstanding designers and professional teams and helped them acculturate to the world of Vuitton. In addition to Louis Vuitton, he has overseen the successful integration of Tiffany within the LVMH group. I am delighted that Burke will continue, by my side, to share his experience and talent for the benefit of our companies,” Bernard Arnault said.

“The appointment of Delphine Arnault is another milestone in a career journey in fashion and leather goods defined by excellence, first during 12 years at Christian Dior and then at Louis Vuitton for the past decade where she was number two with responsibility for all of the Maison’s product activities. Under her leadership, the desirability of Louis Vuitton products advanced significantly, enabling the brand to regularly set new sales records. Her keen insights and incomparable experience will be decisive assets in driving the ongoing development of Christian Dior,” he added.

“I am delighted with the promotion of Delapalme at Christian Dior. He has pursued an admirable career within the LVMH group for the past 17 years. After several years at Louis Vuitton and Fendi, he has been in charge of international development at Christian Dior, working with Beccari since 2018. He has made a significant contribution to the growth of the Maison thanks to his commercial expertise and remarkable strategic vision. He will work closely with Delphine to write a new chapter in the extraordinary history of Maison Christian Dior,” Bernard Arnault said.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (GK)