Marco Bizzarri (born 19 August 1962) is an Italian business executive, president and CEO of Gucci since January 2015 till December 2023.[1] He previously was president and CEO of Stella McCartney (2005–2009) and Bottega Veneta (2009–2014), and joined Kering's executive committee in 2012.
Marco Bizzarri | |
|---|---|
 Bizzarri in 2018 | |
| Born | 9 August 1962 (age 62) Reggio Emilia, Italy |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Title | President and CEO, Gucci |
| Board member of | Kering |
Biography
editEarly career
editBizzarri started his career as a consultant for the management consulting firm Accenture in 1986. In 1993, he joined the Bologna-based Mandarina Duck group, and later became CEO of the group. In 2004, he became general manager of the designer brand Marithé et François Girbaud.[2][3]
CEO of Kering's brands
editIn 2005, Bizzarri was named President and CEO of Stella McCartney.[2][3] Under his management, the company turned a profit for the first time in 2007.[4] He developed a lifestyle-oriented brand and drove its international development, including the opening of a store in Japan in 2008.[5]
In January 2009, Bizzarri became the president and CEO of Bottega Veneta.[6] Amid a global economic downturn, he rapidly changed the distribution of the brand to reposition it in Europe, and worked on a less conservative buying, thus relieving financial stress and enabling new investments.[7] In 4 years, alongside the creative director Tomas Maier, Bizzarri maintained Bottega Veneta's edge for Italian-made leather craftsmanship,[8] drove growth in Asia,[9] opened a flagship store in Milan,[10] and new eco-friendly headquarters in Vicenza.[11] In 2012, Bottega Veneta’s sales reached the $1 billion mark.[12]
In 2012, Bizzarri became a member of the executive committee of Kering.[13] In April 2014, Bizzarri was named CEO of Kering's newly-created couture and leather goods division, directly supervising most of Kering's luxury brands.[14][15]
President and CEO of Gucci
editIn December 2014, Kering named Bizzarri president and CEO of its flagship luxury brand Gucci.[1] His first move was to name a 12-year Gucci member of the creative team, Alessandro Michele, creative director of the brand,[16] who successfully managed to renew the brand’s popularity with a «geek chic» props.[17] Marco Bizzarri stopped the brand's markdown policy,[18] favored cross-gendered collections and unified fashion shows[19] and banned the use of fur by the brand.[20] Gucci also amplified its digital strategy to grow its customer-base on social networks.[21]
Bizzarri opened the Gucci Hub in September 2016 (Gucci headquarters and creative hub in Milan),[22] the ArtLab in April 2018 (Gucci's 37,000-square-metre creative hub in Casellina near Florence, Italy),[23] and Gucci 9 in April 2019 (Gucci's 500-employee network of 6 call centers worldwide for high-end customer service).[24] In January 2018, he inaugurated the renovated Gucci Museum (in the Palazzo della Mercanzia in Florence) renamed Gucci Garden, and the launch of a new restaurant, the Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura.[25]
In 2019, Bizzarri announced that Gucci was carbon-neutral in its own operations and across its supply chain since 2018, thanks to drastic reductions of its greenhouse gas emissions.[26] He also announced that the firm was changing its production strategy, partnering with the UN-led forest conservation program REDD+ to reduce its carbon footprint, and launched the CEO Carbon Neutral Challenge Initiative to encourage other firm executives to follow suit.[27]
Under Bizzarri's tenure, Gucci's annual sales grew from 3.9 billion euros in 2015[28] to 9.6 billion euros in 2019.[29]
Awards
edit- 2020: GQ Italy's Best dressed man[30]
- 2018,[31][32] 2017,[33] 2016:[34] International Business Leader at the Fashion Awards.
- 2017: Knight of the Legion of Honour (France).[35]
- 2017: WWD Edward Nardoza Honor for CEO Creative Leadership.[36]
- 2017 : Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company.[37]
- 2015: Humanitarian of the Year award by the United Nations Association.[38]
References
edit- ^ a b Gucci hires Marco Bizzarri as new brand head, creative director Frida Giannini quits, Straitstimes.com, 12 December 2014
- ^ a b (in French) Marco Bizzarri, Lesechos.fr, 24 November 2004
- ^ a b (in Italian) Stella McCartney nomina Marco Bizzarri nuovo ad, Pambianconews.com
- ^ Stella McCartney posts first ever profit, Marieclaire.co.uk, 3 November 2007
- ^ Paul Mcinnes, Misha Janette, Stella in Ginza, Japantimes.co.uk, 11 March 2008
- ^ Stella McCartney poaches Lanvin director as CEO, Reuters.com, 1 December 2008
- ^ Bag-maker’s value proposition tilts to timeless pieces, Ft.com, 1 January 2000
- ^ Manoj Nair, Bottega Veneta time-crafted strategy pays off, Gulfnews.com, 25 November 2013
- ^ Bottega Veneta’s Understated Luxury Appeals to China’s Sophisticated Fashionistas, Red-luxury.com, 26 June 2012
- ^ Roger Scoble, Bottega Veneta Opens Largest Flagship Store In Milan, Pursuitist.com
- ^ Nikki Hess, Bottega Veneta’s New, Eco-Friendly Headquarters, Mamasarollingstone.com, 18 November 2013
- ^ Suleman Anaya, Bottega Veneta Crosses the $1 Billion Mark, Businessoffashion.com, 22 February 2013
- ^ Sophie Doran, The Latest Appointments: Givenchy, Jil Sander & Yves Saint Laurent, Luxurysociety.com, 20 March 2012
- ^ Anthony DeMarco, Kering Reorganizes To Focus On Luxury Goods, Forbes.com, 29 April 2014
- ^ Kering’s Marco Bizzarri has the billion-euro touch, Ft.com, 11 May 2014
- ^ Imran Amed, Reinventing Gucci, Businessoffashion.com, 22 September 2015
- ^ Gillian Brett, Gucci's Big Plans Revealed, Vogue.co.uk, 6 June 2016
- ^ Limei Hoang, Marco Bizzarri on Gucci’s Remarkable Turnaround, Businessoffashion.com, 27 October 2016
- ^ Vanessa Friedman, Gucci Calls for End to Separation of the Sexes on the Runway, Nytimes.com, 5 April 2016
- ^ Gucci Announces It Will Be Going Fur-Free, Vogue.co.uk, 11 October 2017
- ^ Michael Beach, Gucci offers digital marketing, company culture inspiration, Inma.org, 19 June 2017
- ^ Nathania Zevi. The New Gucci Hub Opens in Milan, Forbes, 28 September 2016 (accessed on 1 August 2020)
- ^ Alice Casely-Hayford. Gucci Unveils A Centre Of Creativity, Craftsmanship & Sustainability, Vogue, April 19, 2018 (accessed on 1 August 2020)
- ^ Gucci turns to call centres to lure high-spending millennial shoppers, Financial Times (accessed on 1 August 2020)
- ^ Mary Hanbury. Gucci just opened a luxurious complex complete with a boutique and a restaurant run by a three-Michelin-starred chef, Business Insider, 10 January 2018 (accessed on 1 August 2020)
- ^ "Gucci goes carbon neutral in attempt to tackle climate crisis". the Guardian. 2019-09-12. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
- ^ Luisa Zargani. Gucci's Marco Bizzarri Issues Carbon Neutral Challenge, WWD, 19 November 2019 (accessed on 1 August 2020)
- ^ Kering: 2015 Results, Business Wire, 19 February 2016 (accessed on 1 August 2020)
- ^ Kering: 2019 Full-year Results, Business Wire, 12 February 2020 (accessed on 1 August 2020)
- ^ Alessandra Turra. GQ Italy to Award Giorgio Armani, Marco Bizzarri and Federico Marchetti, WWD, 2 January 2020 (accessed on 1 August 2020)
- ^ Naomi Pike. The Fashion Awards 2018: The Winners, Vogue, 10 December 2019 (accessed on 1 August 2020)
- ^ "Qui sont les grands vainqueurs des British Fashion Awards 2018 ?". Numéro. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
- ^ 2017 Winners, Fashionawards.com
- ^ Samantha Conti, Gucci, Demna Gvasalia Big Winners at Fashion Awards 2016 in London, Wwd.com, 5 December 2016
- ^ Sandra Salibian, Marco Bizzarri to Receive French Legion of Honor, Wwd.com, 6 June 2017
- ^ Luisa Zargani, Marco Bizzarri Receives WWD Edward Nardoza Honor for CEO Creative Leadership, Wwd.com, 24 October 2017
- ^ Rose Pastore, >Be Inspired By These Creative Leaders Who Are Changing The World, Fastcompany.com, 24 January 2017
- ^ Leigh Nordstrom, Gucci’s Marco Bizzarri Honored at the United Nations Humanitarian Dinner, Wwd.com, 23 October 2015
