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Luca, I Am Your Father

With a quarter under his belt, Luca de Meo’s vision for a Kering turnaround is beginning to sharpen: insulate against the fashion cycle, let Demna cook, and lean on nontraditional executive talent, among other things. But that’s all going to take time—and patience.

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Luca de Meo
De Meo appealed to the Kering board because he wasn’t a luxury guy—he’s not brainwashed by relationships or emotion or history, or any of the consensual hallucinations that have made arbitrage and bankruptcy the end state for so many businesses. Photo: Benjamin Girette/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Lauren Sherman
February 12, 2026

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On Tuesday, during a call with investors, Kering C.E.O. Luca de Meo was asked when he was going to start poaching executives from rival companies. The 58-year-old executive, who was recruited last year to replace heir and longtime C.E.O. François-Henri Pinault, replied that he… wasn’t. “I’m not looking at hiring executive competition,” he said, wearing his signature double-breasted jacket and crown-fold pocket square. “Practically speaking, gardening leave is one year. I don’t have time to waste.”

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