EXCLUSIVE: Bulgari Promotes Laura Burdese to Deputy CEO
PARIS — Roman jeweler Bulgari is beefing its executive leadership with the promotion of Laura Burdese as deputy chief executive officer, a newly created position, WWD has learned.
An Italian national, Burdese is currently the LVMH Mo?t Hennessy Louis Vuitton-owned jeweler’s vice president of marketing and communication, a position she has held since January 2022. In her new role, she will oversee the jewelry, watches, perfumes and leather goods business while keeping her previous responsibilities.
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Already based in Rome, she will take the new position on Sept. 1 and continue to report to CEO Jean-Christophe Babin.
“I am very happy with Laura’s promotion and with Bulgari’s new organization which will allow us to further leverage on our brand platform while continuing to manage our resources in a more integrated, efficient and high-quality manner,” declared Babin in an internal statement seen by WWD.
He lauded her “sharp business acumen coupled with product creativity” that helped her play a key role in the brand’s elevation strategy since her arrival.
A graduate of the University of Trieste, Burdese began her career in the beauty industry with brand management positions at Beiersdorf and L’Oréal before veering into watchmaking when she joined the Swatch Group in 1999.
She held various leadership roles in the Swiss group, most recently as president and CEO of Calvin Klein Watch and Jewelry Co. Ltd from 2012. The Italian executive joined LVMH in 2016 as president and CEO of Acqua di Parma before moving to Bulgari in 2022.
Meanwhile, changes described in a separate internal release as “part of an elevating and upgrading strategy” of the LVMH Watch division created in January and headed by Frédéric Arnault as its CEO will also kick in on Sept. 1.
Ricardo Guadalupe, who was CEO of the watchmaking brand Hublot since 2012 and managing director for eight years prior to that, will become its honorary president, a nonexecutive role. Tag Heuer’s CEO Julien Tornare is succeeding him.
Stepping up as Tag Heuer CEO will be Antoine Pin, currently managing director of Bulgari’s watchmaking division. His successor at Bulgari has yet to be named.
Arnault lauded Guadalupe’s 20-year tenure at Hublot, where he will continue to “ensure respect for the values that have led to the maison’s success” in this new role.
He went on to describe Tornare’s arrival at Hublot as a new chapter dedicated to “the strengthening of its unique position among leading watch brands” and highlighted Pin’s “extensive international experience, expertise, and well-recognized passion for watches.”