Tomas Maier names Laurent Claquin as new CEO

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Jul 19, 2017

The house of Tomas Maier has appointed Laurent Claquin to be its new CEO. The new position takes effect today.
 
Claquin adds the position to his existing job of Head of Kering Americas, a title he has held for the past six years, since opening Kering’s offices in New York in 2011.

 Claquin will report to Jean-François Palus, the group managing director of Kering. Claquin succeeds Giuseppe Giovannetti, who left the group on July 15.
 
“As the leader of Kering Americas, Laurent Claquin has built a very strong operational infrastructure in support of Kering’s brands in the region,” Kering said.

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Claquin joins Tomas Maier shortly after the house opened its first men’s only boutique in the West Village in New York. As creative director of Bottega Veneta since 2001, Maier has been one of the great success stories within the Kering group – building a billion-euro-plus brand with a distinct aesthetic and handsome profit margins. Maier opened his own fashion house in 1997, initially concentrating on swimwear. Three years ago, he entered into a partnership with Kering, allowing Tomas Maier to develop into a fully-fledged lifestyle brand, with a rapidly growing eyewear business. The house now boasts four free-standing stores, including Madison Avenue, East Hampton and Bal Harbour.
 
Before moving to North America, Claquin was Kering’s Corporate Social Responsibility Director, after having been Kering’s Corporate Communications Director. Prior to joining Kering, Claquin worked for France’s Ministry of Culture and held positions at two notable Paris museums - Jeu de Paume and Centre Pompidou.