Francesca Bellettini is the deputy chief executive of Kering. She was previously appointed president and chief executive of Saint Laurent in July 2013. She joined the famous Parisian house, replacing Paul Deneuve, at a crucial time in its development. At the time Pinault, chairman of parent company Kering, was open about his wish that the house reach $1 billion dollars in sales and Bellettini played an integral role in achieving that goal.
Having crossed the $1 billion in sales threshold in 2017, the brand is a star performer in parent company Kering’s luxury portfolio. In the luxury group's 2018 full-year results, Saint Laurent reached sales €1.74 billion, a 16.1 percent increase in reported growth.
Impressively, the executive has maintained the house's upward trajectory despite the departure of its star creative director Hedi Slimane , who was succeeded by Anthony Vacarello in April 2016.
Bellettini joined Yves Saint Laurent from Bottega Veneta. Whilst at the Italian leather goods and ready-to-wear brand, also owned by Kering, Bellettini oversaw merchandising, visual display and communications and was instrumental in the brand’s repositioning and popularity in emerging markets.
Her extensive managerial experience in the fashion industry precedes her time at Bottega Veneta; she previously was a merchandising director at Gucci, operations manager at Helmut Lang, and has also held various positions at Prada.
In July 2023, Bellettini was promoted to Kering deputy CEO, with all brand CEOs reporting to her, in addition to her current role, president and chief executive of Saint Laurent.
Bellettini holds a degree from Bocconi University in Milan and began her career as an investment banker in London, working for Goldman Sachs, Compass Partners and others. In 2019 she was awarded the French Knight of the Legion of Honour, the highest possible distinction for a civilian in the country. Belletini also serves on the executive committee of France's Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode and in July 2019 was elected president of the Chambre Syndicale de la Mode Féminine, the country's governing body for womenswear.
