Riccardo Bellini est le nouveau CEO de Valentino L'ancien PDG de Chloé prendra ses fonctions le 1er septembre.

Less than a week after the news of Jacopo Venturini’s departure, Valentino officially announced the name of its new chief executive officer: Riccardo Bellini. His appointment will be effective on September 1 and will entail his exit from the role of managing director at Mayhoola for Investments, the Qatari holding that controls the Roman brand. With this move, the Maison aims to accelerate its trajectory in a moment marked by internal difficulties and declining financial results. «With Riccardo’s appointment, we are accelerating Valentino’s trajectory,» said Rachid Mohamed Rachid, chairman of the Maison, highlighting the manager’s experience and leadership. Bellini himself added: «I am honored to join Valentino, an iconic maison that blends extraordinary heritage and craftsmanship with a unique creative voice. I look forward to working with Alessandro Michele and Valentino’s exceptional teams to celebrate the maison’s timeless values while writing its next chapter.» On the table also lies the delicate matter of Valentino’s gradual acquisition by Kering. In 2023, Mayhoola sold 30% of the Maison to the French group, in a deal that foresees the acquisition of 100% by 2028. A process that intersects with leadership changes both at Valentino and at Kering, now led by Luca de Meo. For Bellini, this opens a phase of complex balance: ensuring continuity and relaunch at a time when Michele’s aesthetic still divides critics and the public, while the market awaits concrete signs of renewed growth and relevance.

The announcement comes after months of speculation surrounding the increasingly complicated relationship between Jacopo Venturini and Valentino. On August 15, he stepped down from his position for personal reasons, as had already emerged in recent months following rumors of a possible burnout. Venturini had joined Valentino in 2020 after four years at Gucci, where he worked closely with Alessandro Michele. His exit did not come as a shock but rather as confirmation of mounting internal tensions and the challenges posed by the Maison’s new creative direction. Financially, Valentino is going through a contraction: in 2023, revenues fell by 2% to €1.31 billion, while profits dropped by 22%, stopping at €246 million. A negative performance linked both to the broader slowdown in the luxury sector and to the declining consumer interest in ready-to-wear, historically central to the brand’s positioning. The first collection by Alessandro Michele, which reached stores in late 2024, met with lukewarm reception, seen as too radical a shift for long-standing clients accustomed to the more classic and understated elegance of Pierpaolo Piccioli’s tenure. According to Il Foglio, the internal climate at the Maison has further deteriorated, marked by frictions with Michele’s large team and complex relations with Giancarlo Giammetti, Valentino’s co-founder, who publicly criticized some of the designer’s statements through the @fashioncricket account. Speculation about Michele’s potential exit has intensified, especially after his absence from the inaugural dinner of the Fondazione PM23, attended instead by Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli. In this context, Bellini’s arrival appears as a strategic choice to restore fragile balance: with experience gained at Maison Margiela and Chloé, the new CEO will be tasked with combining managerial stability and creative vision, guiding Valentino through one of the most delicate phases in its recent history.