Stefano Cantino has been appointed deputy CEO of Gucci. Nothing strange so far, but his career didn’t start with numbers, data, market forecasts and sales. His career began in communication. And it was truly “golden”.
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After graduating in political sciences, the C-level manager spent over twenty years in the Prada group, covering roles of increasing responsibility in the marketing and commercial areas, until he took on the role of communication & marketing director. Then, he worked for five years at Louis Vuitton, where he oversaw the brand’s communication and image strategies. From May 2nd, however, he will report to the president and CEO of Gucci, Jean-François Palus. “In this new role, Stefano Cantino will share with Jean-François Palus the responsibilities in defining and implementing Gucci’s strategy,” the statement from the company controlled by the French group Kering reads.
Moving from communication and marketing to finance and administration departments looks like a small step. A similar thing happened a few years ago at Balenciaga.
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Their president and chief executive officer, Cédric Charbit, began his career in 2001 at Printemps, where he worked in the luxury goods department, specifically in purchasing. He then became the general merchandise manager until he was promoted to deputy director of purchasing. In 200, he was appointed as deputy CEO of Pucci in Italy, and in 2012, he moved to Saint Laurent as the product strategy director. He was later promoted to merchandising director and finally executive vice president of product and communications. In November 2016, he was appointed as the CEO of Balenciaga.
Therefore, the world of business is increasingly relying on candidates with communication and marketing skills when choosing new top-level managers. This is because skills are often developed over years of experience and include the ability to relate to people, solve problems, multitask effectively, think broadly and, most importantly, possess emotional intelligence, which is becoming increasingly vital and fundamental to success in today’s world.
Angelo Ruggeri
Journalist, Master’s Programme Tutor & Fashion Styling Course Leader, Milan