Daily Front Row

2010 May 18

Daniella Vitale to Exit Gucci

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Daniella VItale and Frida Giannini
CLINT SPAULDING/ PatrickMcMullan.com View Gallery

(NEW YORK) After more than a decade at the company, Gucci America president Danielle Vitale is departing. After joining Gucci in 1999 as vice president of wholesale, Vitale was promoted to president of the American branch of the brand in 2006, growing Gucci’s retail presence in both North and South America. Vitale is also credited with Gucci’s recent partnerships with UNICEF, the Tribeca Film Institute, The Film Foundation, and Dia Art Foundation. A replacement has not yet been named.

Vitale's departure marks another in a series of executive shake-ups at Gucci. The brand’s worldwide CEO, Mark Lee, departed at the end of 2008 and later joined the board at Tory Burch. He was replaced by Patrizio di Marco, who first joined the Gucci Group in 2001 as the president and CEO worldwide of Bottega Veneta and member of Gucci Group Management Committee.

And then in November 2009, Gucci restructured its public relations division with a slew of new hires including Alice Bon, formerly of Giorgio Armani Italy, who was named director of worldwide product editorial, archive and public relations at Gucci. Lila Staab, also formerly of Giorgio Armani, was named director of worldwide entertainment industry relations. Weeks later, it was announced that Brett Heyman, former public relations director at Gucci, had left the company.