MILAN — Ferrari is recruiting a seasoned luxury executive to continue to cement its positioning.
On Monday, the Italian brand said that Carla Liuni will join Ferrari as chief brand officer, starting in September. She will report to chief executive officer Benedetto Vigna and serve on Ferrari’s leadership team.
Liuni was most recently chief marketing officer at Pandora, and before that she was leading global marketing and communications at Bulgari. She also spent almost 20 years at Procter & Gamble, where she was general manager for the Prestige division.
“The Ferrari name is universally recognized and admired, synonymous with Italian style, performance and innovation,” said Vigna, who joined Ferrari in June last year. “It is increasingly critical to be able to build and maintain a relevant brand identity that resonates with our community and is reflective of the world in which we live. Carla has the experience, the leadership and skill set to protect and nurture our brand as it grows.”
Liuni, who will be based at the company’s office in central Milan, said, “Ferrari is one of the most aspirational brands in the world, it is an icon and a symbol of Italian excellence” and that she was honored “to continue to build the unmistakable legacy” of the label while ensuring its “relevance across future generations.”
Ferrari has been investing in a luxury apparel collection, which chairman John Elkann has repeatedly said is a long-term project for the brand, entailing global investments and opening dedicated stores in cities such as Milan and last November on Rodeo Drive.
In November 2019, Elkann appointed Rocco Iannone brand diversification creative director, tasked with creating collections that would shift from Ferrari’s previous merchandising approach to ones that speak of design, fashion and lifestyle, reflecting the brand’s luxury positioning.
At the time, Nicola Boari held the role of chief brand diversification officer.
After a first fashion show held in June last year at Ferrari’s headquarters in Maranello, the brand held a coed runway show in Milan in February, with the goal of making this seasonal.
Iannone also hailed from the luxury world, joining Ferrari from Pal Zileri, where he was creative director. Previously, he was head men’s designer at Giorgio Armani and before that, designer at Dolce & Gabbana.
As reported, the Agnelli family’s holding Exor N.V., which owns Ferrari, in May appointed Axel Dumas, chief executive officer of Hermès International, as a non-executive director for a term of one year.
Dumas joining the board of Exor further strengthens the ties between the holding and the French luxury group. At the end of 2020 Exor invested in Hermès International’s China project Shang Xia. In March last year, Exor also took a stake in Christian Louboutin.
Ferrari is due to hold its Capital Markets Day on Thursday in Maranello.
