Prada welcomes Gianfranco D'Attis as its new CEO

By

Dominique Muret

Translated by
Cassidy STEPHENS

Published
Dec 13, 2022

Prada is undergoing a reorganization. While the Italian luxury group has confirmed the appointement of Andrea Guerra as its new CEO starting end of January, it has also announced another major addition; that of Gianfranco D'Attis as chief executive officer of the group's flagship brand Prada. This position was created especially, since the house was led until now by the group's CEO Patrizio Bertelli, together with his wife, the Miuccia Prada designer, while the Miu Miu line has been headed since 2020 by Benedetta Petruzzo.

The manager will take up his position as of January 2. He will be "responsible for the strategic development of the Prada brand's markets," the company said in a statement, emphasizing how "his proven experience in the luxury retail sector will help amplify Prada's potential in all markets.

An experienced manager with an international profile has been chosen to head the Prada house, which accounts for more than 80% of the company's total retail sales. D'Attis graduated from GSBA Zurich and Columbia Business School in New York, where he completed the Executive Program and he has spent most of his career with the Swiss luxury group Richemont, starting at IWC Schaffhausen.

Joining the watchmaker in 2003, he officiated there for eleven years, first as brand director for the Middle East, India and Turkey, then taking over as head of the United States and Canada from 2011. In 2014, he moved to Chloé, the Swiss group's fashion house, as international director, where he participated in the strategic development of the brand, as well as its commercial growth worldwide.

Four years later, in August 2018, he returned to the watchmaking sector, this time working for another Richemont brand, Jaeger-LeCoultre, as international director. He stayed there for less than a year, before leaving the group to join Christian Dior Couture.

This appointment comes at a time when the Prada-Bertelli couple is preparing its succession. Andrea Guerra is due to take the reins of the group, supported by Gianfranco D'Attis as director of the Prada label, while Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli plan to leave their positions as co-CEOs in early 2023. The designer will stay on as creative director for the Miu Miu line and for the Prada line, which she pilots with Raf Simons, while her husband will take on the position of president of the company.

This new position at Prada aims to strengthen the management and reassure the markets in this phase of generational transition, while Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli, aged 73 and 76 respectively, want to eventually pass the baton to their eldest son, Lorenzo Bertelli. The latter, currently the group's marketing director, joined the Prada Group's board of directors last year.