The luxury fashion industry is entering a new phase, where strong brand identity, customer loyalty, and smart business decisions are becoming more important than ever. In this changing market, Italian luxury fashion house Bottega Veneta has appointed Romain Spitzer as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), marking an important step in its future growth plans.
According to Kering, Spitzer’s appointment became effective on September 1, 2026. He reports to Kering CEO Luca de Meo and has joined the group’s Executive Committee.
His appointment comes as Kering works to strengthen its luxury brands, improve business performance, and respond to changing customer expectations. Spitzer brings more than 30 years of international experience in luxury, beauty, fragrance, marketing, and brand development.
Who Is Romain Spitzer?
Romain Spitzer is a luxury industry executive known for his experience in brand management, international marketing, and customer development. He studied at ESCP Business School and began his career at Guerlain in 1995.
Throughout his career, he held senior positions at well-known luxury businesses, including Jean Paul Gaultier Parfums, Yves Saint Laurent Parfums, and Parfums Christian Dior.
In 2016, he became President and CEO of LVMH Fragrance Brands. His responsibilities later expanded to include several prestigious beauty and fragrance brands, including Givenchy, Kenzo, Maison Francis Kurkdjian, and Acqua di Parma. Before joining Bottega Veneta, he led Fragrance Group LVMH Beauty.
This background gives Spitzer valuable experience in building brand appeal, understanding luxury customers, and managing international markets.
Why Has Bottega Veneta Appointed a New CEO?
Bottega Veneta is known for its Italian craftsmanship, premium leather goods, and understated luxury. Unlike brands that depend heavily on visible logos, it has built its identity around quality materials, skilled production, and distinctive design.
The appointment of Spitzer is intended to support the brand’s next stage of development. His key responsibilities include strengthening global brand desirability, improving customer relationships, and developing the retail experience across markets.
The move also follows the departure of former CEO Bartolomeo Rongone, who left Bottega Veneta to become CEO of Moncler.
For Kering, choosing an executive with extensive experience outside traditional fashion leadership brings a different perspective to the business. Spitzer’s background in beauty and fragrance may help Bottega Veneta build deeper customer connections while protecting its established identity.
What Romain Spitzer Brings to Kering’s Luxury Strategy
1. Strong Experience in Luxury Brand Building
Spitzer has spent decades working with international luxury brands. His experience includes marketing, brand positioning, and business development.
These skills are important because luxury success depends on more than selling expensive products. Brands must create emotional connections, maintain customer trust, and offer products that feel special.
At Bottega Veneta, Spitzer can use this experience to strengthen the brand’s image while keeping its focus on craftsmanship and timeless design.
2. A Stronger Focus on Customer Experience
Luxury customers expect more than a high-quality product. They also look for personal service, comfortable shopping environments, exclusive experiences, and long-term relationships with brands.
Spitzer’s experience in the beauty and fragrance industry could help Bottega Veneta improve how it connects with customers.
This may involve more personalised service, better communication, and a consistent shopping experience across physical boutiques and digital channels. These are strategic opportunities rather than confirmed individual initiatives.
3. International Growth Opportunities
Luxury brands compete across several major markets, including Europe, North America, China, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
Spitzer’s international experience could help Bottega Veneta strengthen its presence in these regions. Understanding local preferences is especially important because luxury shoppers in different markets may have different expectations and buying habits.
The challenge will be to reach more customers without making the brand feel too widely available or losing its exclusive appeal.
4. Improving Retail Performance
Retail performance will be another important part of Spitzer’s role. Luxury boutiques are not simply places to buy products; they are spaces where customers experience the brand’s identity.
Bottega Veneta can build on this by improving boutique service, product presentation, staff training, and the overall shopping experience.
Kering’s broader strategy also places importance on operational excellence, better execution, and long-term business value. Spitzer’s experience managing international teams could support these priorities.
5. Supporting Long-Term Brand Desirability
In luxury fashion, brand desirability means making customers want a product because of its quality, design, reputation, and emotional value.
Bottega Veneta’s strength comes from its distinctive approach to luxury. Its woven leather technique, known as Intrecciato, is one of its best-known design signatures.
Spitzer’s challenge will be to increase the brand’s visibility while preserving its understated image. Greater visibility can attract new customers, but the brand must also protect the craftsmanship and exclusivity that make it attractive.
How Does the Appointment Fit Kering’s Luxury Strategy?
Kering owns several major luxury brands, including Gucci, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, and Bottega Veneta. Each brand has its own identity and customer base, so the group needs strategies that support growth without making its brands feel alike.
Its wider business plan, known as ReconKering, focuses on restoring brand desirability, improving operational performance, and building sustainable long-term growth. Bottega Veneta’s role is to strengthen its position in discreet, craftsmanship-led luxury.
Spitzer’s appointment fits this direction because his experience combines brand development with commercial management.
The goal is not simply to increase sales quickly. It is to build a stronger business that can attract loyal customers, maintain its premium positioning, and respond to changes in the global luxury market.
What Challenges Could the New CEO Face?
Despite its strong reputation, Bottega Veneta operates in a competitive luxury market. Customers have many choices, and economic uncertainty can influence spending on expensive fashion products.
Spitzer will need to balance several priorities:
- Protecting brand identity: Growing the business without losing its focus on craftsmanship and discreet luxury.
- Attracting younger customers: Connecting with new audiences while remaining appealing to established luxury buyers.
- Maintaining product quality: Ensuring that business expansion supports the standards customers expect.
- Building customer loyalty: Giving shoppers strong reasons to return instead of choosing competing brands.
- Delivering profitable growth: Turning brand interest into sustainable business results.
His experience offers useful skills for these challenges, but the long-term success of his leadership will depend on execution and customer response.
What Comes Next for Bottega Veneta?
Romain Spitzer’s appointment represents an important leadership change for Bottega Veneta and a strategic decision for Kering. His background in luxury beauty and fragrance brings expertise in brand building, international markets, and customer relationships.
The brand already has a clear identity based on Italian craftsmanship, distinctive leather goods, and understated elegance. The opportunity now is to build on these strengths and reach more customers without compromising its values.
For the wider luxury industry, this appointment also highlights how leadership is evolving. Today’s luxury executives must understand creative identity, customer behaviour, retail operations, and global business strategy.
Whether Spitzer can turn these strengths into sustained growth will become clearer as his leadership develops. For now, his appointment signals Kering’s intention to build on Bottega Veneta’s existing strengths and prepare the brand for its next chapter.
