Power Moves | Michèle Huiban Promoted to CEO at Lanvin

PARIS, France — Following the departure of managing director Thierry Andretta in April, French fashion house Lanvin has formally promoted Michèle Huiban to the position of chief executive, effective immediately. Huiban, who took charge of Lanvin's day-to-day operations after Andretta's departure, had been the brand's finance director and deputy general manager since 2011.

Andretta abruptly resigned from his post, citing “personal reasons,” allegedly relating to a dispute over the brand’s strategic expansion with Shaw-Lan Wang, the Taiwanese media mogul who purchased the controlling stake in Lanvin back in 2001 from French cosmetics giant L’Oréal.

It was the second time in recent years that Lanvin's managing director had resigned due to rumoured disagreements over strategy. In 2008, Paul Deneve — who has just left his role as chief executive of French fashion label Yves Saint Laurent for a position in the tech industry — also left the brand in the wake of "diverging points of view," according to a statement.

Prior to joining Lanvin in 2008, Huiban worked in the media industry. She holds an MBA from ESSEC Business School. Her appointment marks the second time this week that a woman has been appointed chief executive of a global luxury brand. On Tuesday, luxury conglomerate Kering announced that Francesca Bellettini would assume the top executive job at Yves Saint Laurent.