Kering Taps Car Executive as Its New CEO

By Rob Bates | June 17, 2025

Luxury conglomerate Kering has appointed Italian automobile executive Luca de Meo (pictured) CEO, effective Sept. 15.

The Paris-based company owns Gucci and Saint Laurent, as well as four jewelry brands: Boucheron, Pomellato, Qeelin, and DoDo.

De Meo comes to Kering after 30 years in the auto industry, most recently serving as CEO of French carmaker Renault, from which he resigned last week. He has never worked in the fashion business.

De Meo replaces longtime CEO François-Henri Pinault, who has headed Kering—which was founded by his father—since 2003 and will remain its chairman. His family holding company, Groupe Artémis, controls 42% of Kering’s shares and 59% of its voting rights.

In a statement, Pinault (the husband of actress Salma Hayek) said Kering was “ready for a new stage in its development.

“From 2023, I launched a reflection on the evolution of the group’s governance,” he said. “It was in this context that I met Luca de Meo. His experience at the helm of an international listed group, his sharp understanding of brands, and his sense of a strong and respectful corporate culture convinced me that he is the leader I was looking for.”

Kering presented its first-ever Generation Award for jewelry at the recent JCK Las Vegas.

(Photo courtesy of Kering)