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Valentino CEO Jacopo Venturini Steps Down
Valentino’s chief executive officer Jacopo Venturini has exited the company after five years at the helm, “for personal reasons.”
In a company statement, the Rome-based couture house said it had “reached a mutual agreement” to terminate Venturini’s employment and board roles, effective Wednesday, as he “has decided to take a break for personal reasons.” A successor to Venturini will be announced in due course. Sources close to the company say Alessandro Michele is staying on in his role as creative director and his Spring Summer 2026 collection for Valentino will be unveiled in Paris with a show on Oct. 5.
Venturini was named Valentino’s CEO in June 2020. He succeeded Stefano Sassi, who had been leading the company since 2006. To his credit, Venturini restructured the company’s organization and focused on repositioning the luxury fashion brand as an Italian maison de couture, which meant, for example, closing ‘Red Valentino’. He set in motion a retail expansion and presented the first leg of the brand’s Re-Signify project, to highlight Valentino’s codes, in Shanghai in December 2020. The second part of the brand experience opened the following year in Beijing.
Who Is Jacopo Venturini?
After earning a degree in Economics and Business at the Bocconi University in Milan, Jacopo Venturini chose to bond his studies with his passion for fashion. In 1995 he joined La Rinascente, the Italian landmark department store, as a buyer. In 2000 he arrived for the first time to Maison Valentino as Womenswear and Menswear Brand Manager. Five years later, he was tapped by Prada as Merchandising Coordinator of the Womenswear Collection.
In 2008 he returned to Valentino as Ready-To-Wear Collection and Retail Image Director until 2015, where he worked closely with the Creative Direction. In those years, Maison Valentino became a powerful luxury fashion brand, spanning through Couture, Ready-To-Wear, Accessories, Eyewear and Fragrances. In 2015 Jacopo Venturini was appointed Executive Vice President Merchandising and Global Markets at Gucci.
He came back to Valentino once again in 2020, this time as CEO, steering the company through the worldwide pandemic and subsequent store closures, later expanding retail in Asia and the Middle East. Per BoF: “The leadership change comes as Valentino contends with slowing sales and profitability. In 2024, revenues slipped 2 percent to €1.31 billion ($1.4 billion), while operating profit fell 22 percent to €246 million ($271 million).”
Valentino
Maison Valentino was founded in 1960 by Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti in Rome. The aesthetic vision of the brand originates in the Ateliers of Piazza Mignanelli in Rome, the creative heart of the Maison, and extends to over 265 directly operated stores in 212 locations internationally and over 600 wholesale points.
A symbol of crafting excellence, creativity and uniqueness, Valentino was led by Jacopo Venturini since June 2020 while Alessandro Michele was appointed as its Creative Director in April 2024. Valentino brings its iconic codes into contemporary fashion through the values inherent in its heritage, with savoir-faire and attention to every detail. This is reflected in its collections that include Haute Couture, Valentino women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, Valentino Garavani Accessories, Valentino Eyewear by Akoni Group, and Valentino Beauty by L’Oréal.
Today Valentino S.p.A. is controlled since 2012 by Mayhoola for Investments LLC. The acquisition has brought a rapid growth in the potential of the Valentino brand. Valentino is amongst the leaders of international fashion to believe in the elevated added value that derives from a global vision of style, developed through collections of Haute Couture, Prêt-à-Porter, Valentino Garavani accessories, eyewear by Akoni Group and Valentino Beauty by L’Oréal.
