Gucci nabs ex-Valentino Chief Brand Officer amid Executive shake-up

Luxury fashion house Gucci has elected Alessio Vannetti as Chief Brand Officer, who will take the reigns from Susan Chokachi after her 25 years at the brand.

Vannetti, who was Gucci’s Worldwide Communications Director from 2015 to 2019, has returned to the brand following a stint at competitor Valentino. This time, he’s taking on the role of Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer at the Kering-owned company.

During his three and a half years at Valentino, Vannetti was partly responsible for the brand’s overhaul, along with Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli, when pink became the order of the day. Vannetti has also held senior positions in press and communications at fellow luxury labels Prada and Zegna.

From 4 September, Vannetti will lead Gucci’s brand and client engagement team and oversee "the company’s strategic brand and image direction, marketing, communications, metaverse and client engagement efforts."

He will be reporting to Gucci’s CEO Jean-François Palus for a transitional period. Palus told WWD that Vannetti’s "extensive experience across prominent fashion brands, combined with his deep understanding of Gucci’s legacy, makes him the right choice to steer our brand forward."

Palus continued: "I would like to extend my gratitude to Susan Chokachi for her remarkable contribution to Gucci for more than two decades and wish her well in her future endeavours.

"[She] contributed to developing the company culture and helped to foster Gucci’s industry-leading position for global impact through Gucci Changemakers, the company’s legacy gender equality campaign Chime for Change, and the Gucci Global Equity Board,” the statement said, adding that Chokachi was “respected for her leadership, brand vision and business impact."

In recent months, the house has undergone a major shift in its leadership team in order to revive its fortunes.

Gucci CEO Marco Bizzarri is set to exit the house this month, following the departure of its Creative Director Alessandro Michele at the end of last year.

Bizzarri will be replaced on an interim basis by managing director Jean-Francois Palus. Meanwhile, Gucci's new Creative Director, Sabato de Sarno, is just weeks away from unveiling his debut collection on the runway.