Who is Pietro Beccari?

Pietro Beccari, born in 1967, was recently appointed President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the LVMH Fashion Group. He succeeds Sidney Toledano, who has held the position of CEO of the division since February 2018. However, Toledano has now “decided to relinquish its operational role,” according to a press release.

Beccari’s professional career began in the marketing department of the German company Benckiser in Italy and the Italian company Parmalat in the USA. He then moved to the management of the German company Henkel, where he held the position of vice president of the hair care division.

In 2006, he joined the French luxury group LVMH as executive vice president of marketing and communications for Louis Vuitton. In 2012, he became president and CEO of Fendi. He remained there until February 2018, leaving that position to become president and CEO of Christian Dior Couture. Since February 2023, he has been President and CEO of Louis Vuitton and now also President and CEO of LVMH Fashion Group.

“I thought I would become a footballer”

Beccari actually wanted to become a professional footballer and comes from Basilicagoiano, a district of the municipality of Montechiarugolo in the province of Parma with only 1,744 inhabitants. He revealed this in an interview with Vogue last April. However, his career began on December 10, 1992 with a degree in Business and Economics from the University of Parma

“I thought I was going to be a footballer. I was almost a professional. Instead, one fine day I was told: ‘No, you’re not.’ Then I wanted to become a salesperson in the hottest multi-brand fashion store in Parma. I studied business and economics and then started working without knowing exactly where I was going. With my eyes always open, I also developed a certain ambition. I never set out to become a manager in the fashion industry, but it happened,” says Beccari

Mentors paved Beccari’s path

He emphasizes that his mentors include Yves Carcelle, who headed Louis Vuitton for 22 years and died in 2014. “He changed my life. He interviewed me and I told him that I didn’t want to work in fashion. He invited me and my wife to dinner at his house and managed to fascinate us with his way of life,” Beccari recalls in the Vogue interview.

“I worked alongside him and saw how he operated: he was a giant. Then there is Mr. Bernard Arnault, with whom I have worked directly for ten years now. He has a tenacity of always wanting to improve, never being satisfied and always looking for something better. An obsession that I believe I also have. In fact, I believe that a little bit of obsession is crucial to being successful in life. Then you have to know how to put it in check Otherwise you risk it gaining the upper hand. Finally, there is Toni Belloni, who is now responsible for LVMH Italy. “I worked with him during his Fendi days. He has exceptional skills, both as a person and as a manager, and he has taught me a lot,” adds Beccari.

Beccari is the first “Alumnus of the Year” of the University of Parma

Beccari was also the university’s first “Alumnus of the Year” and was the first to be named to the honor roll associated with the award in 2018. This was launched seven years ago by the university and the Association of Alumni and Friends of the University of Parma. It honors graduates who have particularly distinguished themselves through their professional careers and brought reputation to the university.

“The Roll of Honor of the Alumni of the Year opens with a name of absolute prestige in international fashion. A manager who has known how to leave his mark in all the great houses where he has worked in recent years: Louis Vuitton, Fendi and now Christian Dior. This is a new challenge in a career that began 26 years ago, on December 10, 1992, with a degree in Business and Economics from the University of Parma,” it said published seven years ago by the university.

When accepting the award, the manager briefly described his professional career. He emphasized his work and life philosophy: a mental attitude that consists of “perseverance and grim determination; healthy dissatisfaction and curiosity; authenticity and the ability to remain yourself.” “The mental attitude towards life determines success and failure. Opportunities are all around us. We only have the opportunity to seize them when we are ready and have the right mentality to really take advantage of them,” explains Beccari. “I feel very connected to you,” he concluded his speech addressed to the students present.