Ferragamo
The Italian luxury group Salvatore Ferragamo has appointed Fabrizio Freda as Special Strategic Advisor.
Fabrizio Freda previously served as Chief Executive Officer of the American high-end beauty conglomerate The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., leading the group for nearly 16 years before retiring in 2024.
In his new role, he will provide advisory support on the Group’s strategic decision-making, organisational structure and operational optimisation, as well as on other family businesses, with the aim of driving value creation. He will also assist in the search for a new Chief Executive Officer.
Following the departure of Marco Gobbetti, the position of Chief Executive Officer at Ferragamo has remained vacant for more than a year.
According to the press release, Fabrizio Freda, who currently serves as a Director at asset management company BlackRock, may in the future also be appointed to the Board of Directors of Salvatore Ferragamo.
House of Brands
The watchmaking group House of Brands has announced the appointment of new management teams across its three brands: Breitling, Universal Genève, and Gallet. All appointments will take effect in May 2026.
On 19 November 2025, during Dubai Watch Week, Breitling officially announced its transformation into the House of Brands group structure. Under the leadership of Chief Executive Officer Georges Kern, the new strategy integrates the core brand Breitling, the relaunched luxury brand Universal Genève, and the entry-level brand Gallet within the Group, covering all market segments.
Jean-Marc Pontroué has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Breitling. He brings extensive experience in luxury watchmaking, having previously worked at Montblanc. He was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Roger Dubuis in 2011 and of Panerai in 2018, with longstanding expertise in retail, wholesale and marketing.
Grégory Bruttin has been appointed Managing Director of Universal Genève, with the aim of continuing the momentum following the brand’s recent successful relaunch.
Erwan Rossigno has been appointed Managing Director of Gallet. He is currently working with his team to prepare for the brand’s relaunch before the end of August.
Antoine Loron has been appointed to the newly created role of President of Breitling USA and Canada, and will join Breitling’s Executive Board and Product Committee.
Antoine Loron will succeed Thierry Prissert, who will continue to support the expansion of the Breitling brand and the introduction of Universal Genève and Gallet in the US market, and will assume the role of Chairman of the House of Brands US Board.
Renato Meier, currently Market Director for Breitling USA and Canada, will succeed Antoine Loron as Managing Director of Breitling Latin America (LATAM).
Georges Kern, Chief Executive Officer of House of Brands, stated, “We have decided to further strengthen our executive management team and organisational structure to drive the continued and steady development of our three brands. With our existing strong management team, we are fully equipped to unlock the full potential of House of Brands.”
| Source: Official press releases
| Image Credit: Personal social media accounts
| Editor: Luxeplace
