With the sheer amount of executive changes at major luxury brands over the past few years, it might seem as if retailers have been playing a game of revolving doors. And now, a key player has joined the game. Earlier this month, Kering named Luca de Meo as CEO, replacing longtime chief executive François‑Henri Pinault, who will stay on as chairman.

The switch came as a surprise but not a total shock as sales at the conglomerate have been on a downward spiral with Gucci—the linchpin of Kering’s revenue—underperforming since 2022.

However, Kering’s stocks were up ~12% as news of de Meo’s potential appointment spread before the official announcement, indicating a positive response.

“The appointment of Luca de Meo as CEO of Kering is both bold and appropriate, as it signals…Kering is in a turnaround and has selected an experienced turnaround executive (who also has luxury brand experience) to lead that turnaround…Fresh new thinking is being brought to the company and industry,” Bret Bero, assistant professor of practice in management at Babson College, told Retail Brew.

Keep reading here.—JS

While Amazon CEO Andy Jassy this month warned that generative AI will eventually reduce corporate jobs at the e-commerce giant, real humans are still, as of now, being hired for the top retail jobs. Here are the major retail executive comings and goings to know in June:

• Glossier CEO Kyle Leahy is exiting her role at the end of the year after three years at the beauty brand, writing in a company-wide note that the next CEO will “lead this new phase of growth.” A successor has not been named, but founder Emily Weiss will not be filling the role.
• Prada CEO Gianfranco D’Attis will leave his role “by mutual agreement,” the company said, succeeded by Prada Group CEO Andrea Guerra in the interim.
• Amid declining sales, Vera Bradley’s CEO Jacqueline Ardrey and CFO Michael Schwindle are departing the handbag maker. A successor for Ardrey hasn’t been appointed, but Martin Layding, former divisional CFO of Coach, will take over for Schwindle.
• Men’s Warehouse owner Tailored Brands promoted president John Tighe to CEO, replacing Peter Sachse, who will shift to executive chair.

Keep reading here.—EC

ChatGPT's public launch left many companies scrambling to understand how the technology will impact work. Some companies took a wait-and-see approach: let early-adopter firms experiment, adopt early, and make costly mistakes. Others opted for pilot programs with certain business units or executives.

For many, banning ChatGPT from business seemed like a logical choice. The tech posed too many unknowns, like concerns about the data security of personal and proprietary information and, frankly, leaders were still worried that using the tool was akin to cheating.

Colgate-Palmolive took a different approach. Rather than restrict AI access, the company created a safe, internal environment for employees to explore using AI.

Keep reading here on HR Brew.—AD