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PARIS, France — Kering, parent company of Parisian fashion brand Yves Saint Laurent, has announced that Francesca Bellettini will take the reins as the brand's new chief executive, effective September 1st. Bellettini will succeed current chief executive Paul Deneve, who after two years at the head of the luxury fashion label is leaving for a position in the technology industry in California's Silicon Valley.
Kering also announced it plans to expand the responsibilities of Hedi Slimane, Yves Saint Laurent's creative director since early 2012. He has "rejuvenated and repositioned the brand in line with Yves Saint Laurent's original message in 1966," said Kering chief executive Francois-Henri Pinault, and, going forward, will "supervise all strategic projects for the brand."
Bellettini comes to Yves Saint Laurent from Italian leather goods and ready-to-wear brand Bottega Veneta, also owned by Kering, where she oversaw merchandising, visual display and communications.
Bellettini has extensive managerial experience in the fashion industry. Prior to Bottega Veneta, she was a merchandising director at Gucci, operations manager at Helmut Lang, and has also held various positions at Prada. She holds a degree from Bocconi University in Milan and began her career as an investment banker in London, working for Goldman Sachs, Compass Partners and others.
