Laurent Claquin, who joined Kering at the end of 2004, will have the task of restoring the lustre of the luxury group, which has been plagued by the lacklustre performance of its leading House, Gucci. He is probably destined to take over from Valérie Duport, who left the group at the beginning of March as director of communications and image, with broader ambitions.
Kering has announced the appointment of Laurent Claquin as Group Brand Director, effective July 1, 2024. Reporting to Jean-Marc Duplaix, Kering’s Executive Vice-President in charge of Operations and Finance, he will join the Executive Committee.
Admittedly, this is a new position, but many will have made the connection. At the beginning of March, Valérie Duport, Director of Communications and Image, who had been with the Group since 2016, left after “taking the decision to pursue other projects outside Kering”. Her successor had not yet been named, and we can probably assume that this has now been done…
In more detail, Laurent Claquin‘s role will be to “strengthen the appeal of the Kering corporate brand and increase the Group’s visibility and influence”, explains a press release.
A broad scope
While “a clear and consistent message in every interaction is essential to achieving these objectives”, “Laurent Claquin’s responsibility will be to define and coordinate Kering’s communications, externally and internally, in all regions, following a unified calendar and editorial strategy”.
Finally, Laurent Claquin “will support the Group’s Houses by amplifying their communications where appropriate and creating exceptional events to support their initiatives.”
Laurent Claquin’s successful career in the cultural world, in the public and private sectors, and at Kering, predisposes him to such a 360-degree vision of communications and image.
A multiple graduate of ESC Rennes, the University of Exeter (M.B.A. International Management), the Institut des Etudes Européennes de l’Université de Paris VIII (D.E.S.S. Cultural Management in Europe) and the Collège des Hautes Etudes du Développement durable, he began his career from 1994 to 1997 as a consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The cultural world
He then joined the cultural world, taking charge of international relations, communications and partnerships at the Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume, from 1997 to 1999, and then the Communications Department at the Centre Georges Pompidou, from 1999 to 2002. From mid-2002 to the end of 2004, he was Chief of Staff to the French Minister of Culture and Communication.
At the end of 2004, Laurent Claquin joined Kering, first as advisor to Chairman François-Henri Pinault, then as Vice-President Communications, from 2005 to 2007, and Vice-President CSR, from 2007 to the end of 2011.
Since 2012, he has been President of Kering Americas.
New challenge
For a short period (2017 to 2018), he was also Managing Director of fashion house Tomas Maier, a Kering subsidiary.
Laurent Claquin now faces a new challenge: to restore the lustre of the luxury group and its multiple Maisons (Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Brioni, Alexander McQueen, Boucheron, Pomellato, Dodo, Queelin, Ginori 1735) and divisions (Kering Eyewear, Kering Beauté). And this at a time when its main driving force, Gucci, is struggling to regain its full power.
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Featured Photo: © Kering
