Fashion’s Leadership Shake-Up: A New Era of CEOs and Creative Directors

In times of uncertainty, change of captain. International fashion is closing a dizzying first half of the year in the transfer market, with new CEOs being brought in to correct the course or to face a changing context, or the renewal of creative inspiration to make an impact on sales. From new CEOs at Primark or Decathlon to the signing of Demna by Balenciaga or Jonathan Anderson by Dior, the transfer market has shaken fashion industry with different protagonists.

At a time of change, companies are once again betting on renewing their management teams, with changes both in their top executives and in the design areas. In fact, this is one of the ten trends for 2025 identified in the Global Fashion Drivers report, a movement that already began in 2024: 16% of the largest companies in the sector renewed their top executives last year and 22% of them introduced changes in their design leadership.

One of the most significant CEO changes in the first quarter affected Primark, following the forced departure of its CEO, Paul Marchant, after almost two decades at the helm. The Irish company put Eoin Tonge in charge after Marchant was denounced by a female employee for “inappropriate behavior”. Tonge stepped down as CFO of parent Associated British Foods (ABF). It was financial auditor Joana Edwards who picked up the baton.

Primark made one of the biggest moves of the half-year with the dismissal of its CEO for decades, Paul Marchant.

Puma has also changed its top manager, with the German sports equipment group parting ways with its CEO, Arne Freundt, because of “divergences” over the execution of the brand’s strategy. His replacement: a former Adidas, Arthur Hoeld.

In March, Foot Locker reshuffled its top management with the appointment of Franklin Bracken as president, until then its executive vice-president and general manager, a move that took place before agreeing to its sale to Dick’s. With more than fifteen years of experience in the company, he has been a key figure in its global expansion.

Calvin Klein, meanwhile, reshuffled its top management with the departure of its president, the Spaniard Eva Serrano, to be replaced by David Savman, until then director of operations and supply chain of PVH.

France’s Lacoste has appointed Éric Vallat as its new CEO, succeeding Thierry Guibert, while Intersport International Corporation signed Tom Foley as its new CEO to continue its expansion plan.

The French Decathlon group announced in March the appointment of Spaniard Javier Lopez as chief executive and the dismissal of Barbara Martin Coppola.

In the sports industry, the most significant change of CEO in the first half of the year was the appointment of Spaniard Javier Lopez as CEO. Following the promotion of Julien Leclercq to the presidency, in March Decathlon dismissed the then CEO, Barbara Martin Coppola, and replaced her with the Spaniard Javier Lopez, who will be the CEO of the group’s Spanish subsidiary until 2022.

The cosmetics group L’Occitane went to Kiabi to look for talent. Specifically, it has signed Didier Lalance as CEO, taking over from Laurent Marteau, and the Bata Group has appointed Panos Myratos as new CEO to replace Sandeep Lataria.

But surely one of the most notable moves of the first half of the year due to the relevance of the company and the sector in which it operates has been that of Kering. The luxury group has entrusted its management to Luca de Meo, until now CEO of Renault, who left the automotive group to enter the fashion industry. His departure was orchestrated by François-Henri Pinault, heir to the Pinault empire, who prepared the executive handover and the separation of functions at the head of the group.

Kering has turned to an executive from outside the industry to set its new course: the French group has appointed Luca de Meo as CEO.

Creative replacements: Balenciaga, Versace and Dior

If there has been a position with changes in the first six months of the year, it has been that of creative director. The luxury industry, which is going through a time of change that is leading the giants of the sector to contract their sales and review their businesses, is looking for a revival with a new dance of creative chairs.

In March, Georgian Demna, at the helm of Balenciaga since 2015, became in charge of replacing Italian Sabato De Sarno at Gucci, who left the firm last February after two years of collaboration. He joined the historic Italian brand in July.

After months of rumors, in July the French group LVMH appointed Jonathan Anderson as the new global creative director of Dior, a position that encompasses women’s ready-to-wear, men’s collections and haute couture. For the first time, a single designer orchestrates the creative universe of the firm founded in 1947, a decision that seeks aesthetic coherence and commercial strength at a time of slowdown in the luxury market.

Donatella Versace has left the creative direction of the firm that bears her family’s surname in the midst of a takeover by Prada.

A few months earlier, Anderson had already announced his departure from Loewe, which has incorporated Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez as new creatives of the Spanish-born brand.

The third most important creative move of the quarter is named after the name of the brand that stars in it: Versace. In mid-March and in the midst of the sale to Prada, Versace announced the departure of Donatella Versace from the creative direction of the brand, a position that has been taken over by Dario Vitale.

Nike has created a new management team with internal promotions as part of the new roadmap introduced by its CEO, Elliott Hill

In search of internal talent

Not only has fashion gone fishing for talent in the first half of the year, it has also found it in its own ranks, and Nike is a good example of this. Amy Montagne, until now vice president and general manager of Nike’s women’s unit, has taken over as president of the brand, in just one of the moves executed by the group’s CEO, Elliott Hill, as part of the restructuring of the sports equipment group.

Another company that has bet on in-house talent to lead the project is Zalando. The German e-commerce company appointed Eloisa Siclari as new CEO for the Spanish and Italian markets at the beginning of the year.

So has LVMH, strengthening the leadership of two of its maisons with the addition of two CEOs trained in the ranks of Louis Vuitton. Spaniard Ramón Ros was promoted to the position of CEO, while Daniel DiCicco was charged with taking over from Ros in Shanghai, assuming the position of president and CEO of Louis Vuitton in China. Also at LVMH, Frédéric Arnault, son of the founder, was promoted to CEO of Loro Piana.

Kering appointed Federico Arrigoni as the new CEO of Brioni and Messi Benabadji as head of Ginori 1735 (a firm specializing in porcelain). And the French group, which controls brands such as Balenciaga, Saint Laurent and Gucci, strengthened its senior management with the creation of the post of general secretary, which Mélanie Flouquet took over. Balenciaga, for its part, also promoted its product director, Nathalie Raynaud, who became deputy CEO.