Salvatore Ferragamo announces leadership changes in North America and Europe

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Oct 12, 2021

Salvatore Ferragamo continues to implement major changes in the run-up to new CEO Marco Gobbetti's arrival at the brand next January. Since the announcement of the Burberry chief executive's appointment as the boss of the Italian luxury label in June, the brand's organigram has gone through something of an overhaul. The latest reshuffle concerns the appointment of two new CEOs for the North America and EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) regions. 

 
Similarly to other fashion houses, Salvatore Ferragamo is currently in the process of strengthening its presence in the United States, a market where the luxury sector has seen a strong recovery following the difficulties of the Covid-19 pandemic. The region's previous CEO, Donald Kohler, left the company in April, and the brand has now revealed that it has chosen a real industry heavyweight as his successor: Daniella Vitale, an American executive with an impressive resume.

It was at Ferragamo that Vitale began her career, having graduated from the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising and New York's Fashion Institute of Technology. She went on to work at the American subsidiary of Giorgio Armani, where she was responsible for wholesale, before joining Gucci's stateside office in 1999, ultimately taking over as its CEO in 2006.  

In 2010, she moved to New York-based department store chain Barneys, where she rapidly ascended through the ranks to become CEO, a role that she held from 2017 to 2019, when she joined Tiffany & Co. as chief brand officer and executive vice president. 

In parallel, Vincenzo Equestre has been named CEO of EMEA, succeeding Corinne Ortega, who exited the company in September. Having graduated with a degree in economics from the University of Naples, the executive began his career at Unilever before joining L'Oréal. He has spent the last 20 years working in brands owned by French luxury conglomerate LVMH, except for a period between 2007 and 2011, when he led the EMEA region at Ermenegildo Zegna. 

At LVMH, Equestre has had a range of different responsibilities, having most recently served as international vice president for sales and distribution at jeweler Chaumet. His other previous roles at the group have included general manager of Italy, Spain, Portugal and Morocco at Louis Vuitton and general manager of Europe at Christian Dior. 

Only a few days ago, Salvatore Ferragamo welcomed French entrepreneur and former co-CEO of SMCP Frédéric Biousse onto its board of directors. In September, the Florence-based brand revealed its latest women's ready-to-wear collection, from French designer Guillaume Meilland, who took over as creative director following the departure of Paul Andrew earlier this year.