Giorgio Armani has always valued executives who truly ’embrace’ a company’s vision and do not depart after just two or three years to chase the next highest bidder- each time with a lavish severance. The appointment, announced a short while ago, of Giuseppe Marsocci as CEO of the Armani Group with immediate effect (together with his simultaneous entry to its Board of Directors) reflects this philosophy. As confirmed in a statement by the Board of Directors of Giorgio Armani SpA, Marsocci brings more than 35 years of international experience in the fashion and luxury sector, 23 of them within the Armani Group, in roles of increasing responsibility in Milan and abroad; most notably in New York, where he served as CEO of the Americas.

Over the past six years, from 2019 to the present, the Piedmontese executive has reported directly to Giorgio Armani, serving as the group’s deputy general manager and global chief commercial officer. He has sat on numerous corporate boards and served as chairman of Giorgio Armani Retail Srl, as well as CEO and/or president of various overseas subsidiaries of the group.

Proposed unanimously by the Armani Foundation, Marsocci will report to the board chaired by Leo Dell’Orco, on which Silvana Armani will serve as vice-chair. In the coming weeks, the company notes, the Board of Directors of Giorgio Armani SpA “will take its final shape upon completion of probate procedures and execution of the will, but it was decided to move ahead now by appointing the CEO in advance, to inaugurate the new course without any interruption in the management of the company,” the fashion group’s statement reads.

Leo Dell’Orco, chairman of the company’s board, highlighted Marsocci’s key qualities in the statement: “His international professional experience, deep knowledge of the sector and of the company, discretion, loyalty, and team spirit, together with his closeness in recent years to Mr Armani, make Giuseppe the most natural choice to ensure continuity along the path mapped out, built and perpetuated for 50 years by the founder,” in keeping with the company’s founding principles and the enduring direction set by the Piacenza-born designer, who passed away earlier this month.

Giuseppe Marsocci expressed his gratitude “for the trust placed in me. This is a project of extraordinary importance, focused on continuity and on enhancing one of the world’s most prestigious Made in Italy brands which, for clients and the market, has transcended the status of a simple label to rightfully become a lifestyle brand.”

‘The objective is demanding,” continued the new CEO, “all the more so in a luxury market engaged in deep self-reflection, but it is achievable thanks to the fundamental contribution of an outstanding network of clients, suppliers, partners, and passionate colleagues around the world, particularly in Milan, many of whom have been close to Mr Armani for many years. Together we will do everything to perpetuate his model of enterprise and his idea of beauty, and we will carry it forward with consistency and sensitivity, taking into account the values and expectations of a changing world.”

Giuseppe Marsocci, a 61-year-old from Turin with a degree in Economics and Business from the University of Turin, has prior experience in sales, marketing and brand management at the Turin-based GFT Group, a licensee of Valentino, Dior, Ungaro, Stone Island and Armani. Other notable roles include five years at Fila Sport (HDP Group) as head of international business development.

Marsocci joined the Armani Group in 2003, taking on roles of increasing responsibility both at the Milan headquarters and in the group’s overseas subsidiaries. These included: commercial director of Armani Collezioni; CEO of the Swiss subsidiary (formerly the logistics and customer service hub for all overseas markets); global director for diffusion/wholesale lines; and, for more than ten years in the New York office, first as president of Trimil US, the Zegna/Armani joint venture, before serving as CEO of the Americas from 2014 to 2019.