The news of Marco Gobbetti’s farewell to Salvatore Ferragamo came late in the late afternoon yesterday. The Italian luxury brand had stopped him as CEO in 2022 instead of Michaela Le Delivec. The manager, born in Vicenza in 1958, has an international profile and many years of experience with Italian, French and English fashion brands. He has already been commissioned several times by renowned labels to restore the shine of the brand, to enliven sales, to rejuvenate customer relationships and to promote digitization.
One of the 100 managers of 2021
The Magazin Forbes Italia included it in the list of 100 managers of the year in 2021. In an analysis of the newspaper IL Sole Sole 24 Ore over the salaries that paid Italian companies to managers and entrepreneurs, Marco Gobbetti 2022 took tenth place with a remuneration of 13.9 million euros.
Teamwork and the ability to recognize market and public developments at an early stage are among the characteristics of Gobbetti’s management approach.
CEO from Burberry
Before he came to Ferragamo, Gobbetti Chief Executive Officer was from Burberry. From 2017, Gobbetti, who succeeded Christopher Bailey at the time, was Chief Executive Officer of the British luxury brand Burberry. At Burberry, Gobbetti headed a comprehensive transformation of the brand and business of the British label, from the wording of a clearly defined goal and a strategy to revitalizing communication and upgrading the product to the reinvention of the luxury shopping experience and innovation in the digital area.
His first steps after taking office at the head of the Florentine company was the appointment of Maximilian Davis as creative director.
The English designer was selected by Gobbetti because of his personal aesthetics and his work characterized by elegance, sensuality and constant striving for quality. “Thanks to his modern perspective, he will write a new, exciting chapter for this maison, which is based on creativity, craftsmanship, sophistication and extraordinary human values,” explained the CEO of Ferragamo 2022. “These first months in the company were intense. However, sustainable growth is certainly one of the priorities. We will work a lot on the offer because we believe that there is potential to create new energy and to bind more consumers: Inside the introduction of a series of new products, ”said Gobbetti in one of the first phone calls with analyst: inside.
Initiator of a collaboration between Ferragamo and Farfetch
In August 2022, Gobbetti initiated a collaboration between Salvatore Ferragamo and Farfetch, a global online platform in the luxury model. In detail, the trade agreement provided for an integrated cooperation that made it possible Ferragamo to accelerate digital innovation and to use the entire potential of the platform founded by Jose Neves.
“Farfetch is the leading digital platform in the luxury segment and the ideal partner to further promote the brand’s e-commerce and omnichannel innovation, to promote our plans to achieve a new and younger audience and to accelerate our growth,” said Gobbetti, CEO by Salvatore Ferragamo.
As for the choice of creative directors, Gobbetti has always relied on the personality of the designer in order to cause real change, but also to reinterpret the ability of the designer to reinterpret the inheritance of the brand without falsifying their codes. This happened, for example, at Burberry with the appointment of Riccardo Tisci. “Riccardo is one of the most talented designers of our time. TISCIS KREATIVE VISION will strengthen the ambitions we have for Burberry and the position of the brand in the luxury segment, ”said Burberry CEO at the time and explained the reasons for the election.
Gobbetti at Celine
Marco Gobbetti and Tisci worked together when Vicenza, born from 2004 to 2008, was President and CEO von Givenchy. From 2005 to 2017, TISCI was creative director of Givenchy.
Before he came to Burberry, the gobetti was CEO of the French luxury brand Celine from 2008 to 2016. Here, together with creative director Phoebe Philo, he tripled sales after revising the brand’s entire product range and strengthening her image.
Previously, Gobbetti, who has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from American University in Washington DC and a master’s degree in international management from the American Graduate School of International Management in Phoenix, was Chairman and CEO of Givenchy and CEO from Moschino. He headed the transition to the Aeffe Group after the death of Franco Moschino until 2004 when he took over the position of Givenchy CEO. Gobbetti started his career at Italian luxury companies, including Bottega Veneta and Valextra.