Ermenegildo “Gildo” Zegna is Chairman and CEO of Ermenegildo Zegna Group . A member of the Zegna family’s third generation, Gildo oversees the company founded by his grandfather and namesake in 1910. In December 2021, he led the Group through its public listing on the New York Stock Exchange, making history as the first Italian luxury group listed on the world’s largest stock exchange.
Gildo was born in Turin, Italy, in 1955, and graduated from the University of London in 1978. After starting his career at Bloomingdale’s in New York, he joined the family business in 1982, leading Zegna’s business in North America and then in Spain. In 1989, he joined the company’s board of directors and was named CEO in 1997.
Under his leadership, the Zegna brand – which started as a single wool mill in Trivero, Italy – has grown into a leading Italian luxury group that encompasses a one-of-a-kind Made in Italy Luxury Textile Laboratory Platform that produces some of the world’s finest textiles and fabrics. As CEO, Gildo also oversaw the successful acquisition and integration of American brand Thom Browne in 2018, as well as the recent rebranding of Zegna as a one recognizable brand in 2021.
Gildo’s leadership follows that of his grandfather before him, which is based on the firm belief that building a successful brand and company cannot be done without also caring for the environment and communities that support a company. The natural embodiment of this philosophy is Oasi Zegna – a natural park that spreads for 100 square kilometres across the Biella Alps in Northern Italy. The Oasi is a reflection of the values on which the Group was built, preserving the predecessors’ legacy while creating products and a lifestyle that are in harmony with nature.
Gildo is also Chairman of the Board of directors of Thom Browne Inc., Filati Biagioli Modesto, S.p.A. and Monterubello S.s and a board member of Tom Ford International LLC. He is also a Member of the Strategic Committee and Advisor of the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana and has been an active Member of the Council for the United States and Italy since 2013. In 2011, Gildo was nominated Cavaliere del Lavoro by the President of the Italian Republic, and in 2016 received Premio Leonardo, a prestigious award given to an Italian leader who has meaningfully promoted Italy’s image on a global scale. Gildo also served as a member of the board of directors of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. from 2014 to 2021.
