Management changes at EssilorLuxottica and VF

Italian-French eyewear producer and retailer EssilorLuxottica and ready-to-wear holding company VF Corporation both have announced management changes. EssilorLuxottica CEO Laurent Vacherot retires, while the owner of Kipling and Eastpak welcomes new managers for both brands.

Immediate retirement

Vacherot is replaced with immediate effect by Paul du Saillant, who was already vice president. Du Saillant also gets a seat on the board of directors. The manufacturer of the Ray-Ban brand has also announced that the shareholders’ meeting originally scheduled for May 15 has been postponed to June 25 due to the coronavirus crisis. At the meeting, exceptionally held behind closed doors, the amount of the dividend to be paid will be reviewed: the Board of Directors has already indicated that it might not keep its earlier promises. 

Markus Hamm has been appointed European CEO of Kipling, while Nina Flood is appointed head of the Eastpak backpack brand. Remarkably, Flood was previously CEO of Kipling in the Americas, while Hamm has been responsible for Eastpak’s wholesale, strategic accounts, sales and digital activities since January last year.