Luca de Meo, CEO of the Renault group since 2020, will leave his position on July 15, 2025. The announcement, made on a Sunday evening, surprised both observers and employees of the manufacturer. Its suddenness is reminiscent of Carlos Tavares‘s abrupt departure from Renault in 2013. However, this time, the context is different. It is a voluntary move towards a radically opposite universe: that of luxury.
According to information revealed by Le Figaro, the Italian executive will join Kering, a French luxury industry leader founded by François Pinault and now led by his son François-Henri Pinault. The group owns iconic brands like Gucci, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, and Saint Laurent. However, it seeks to renew its managerial momentum. Indeed, its performances are currently declining.
This transfer from the automotive industry to luxury fashion illustrates a broader trend. Indeed, large international companies are recruiting cross-disciplinary profiles. These profiles are capable of instilling a product culture and industrial rigor in sectors undergoing transformation.
Five years to transform Renault
In July 2020, Luca de Meo took the helm of a struggling Renault group. The losses from the previous year amounted to nearly 8 billion euros. The company emerged exhausted from the Carlos Ghosn era, marked by excess. Additionally, it experienced tensions with Nissan. Finally, a very costly expansion strategy also left its mark.
Quickly, de Meo launched the Renaulution plan, a roadmap structured around three axes: profitability, brand enhancement, and the transition to electric. Specific subsidiaries were created to differentiate thermal (Horse) and electric (Ampère) activities.
The results are evident. In 2024, Renault announced a 7.4% increase in revenue and a 7.6% operating margin, a historic record. The range was refocused on iconic models with high added value. The new Renault 5, presented as the symbol of renewal, generated genuine enthusiasm. The brand’s image was revitalized by a clearer positioning. Moreover, more sober lines contributed to this transformation. Additionally, an inspired marketing policy played an essential role.
Industrial partnerships were also established, notably with Geely, the Chinese group that now co-pilots the Horse structure. The distribution network was modernized, costs were reduced without massive layoffs, and governance was stabilized around the duo de Meo – Senard.
Shadows on the horizon: the failure of Ampère
Despite this overall positive outcome, several projects remain unfinished. The Ampère project, designed to embody the group’s electric future, disappoints. Its profitability remains uncertain. The cancellation of its stock market introduction in 2024 is a warning sign. The gradual disengagement of Nissan and Mitsubishi illustrates a loss of confidence within the historic alliance.
Furthermore, some promised models will never see the light of day. For example, the Renault 5 hybrid will not be produced. Yet, this intermediate product could have appealed to a market still attached to mixed engines. The European electric market remains volatile, hampered by rising prices and regulatory uncertainties.
A career forged by industrial diversity
Born in Milan in 1967, Luca de Meo embodies the figure of a cosmopolitan leader. A graduate of Bocconi University, he speaks five languages, has lived on three continents, and has held executive positions in the automotive sector for 30 years.
He began his career at Renault in the early 1990s before successively joining Toyota, Fiat, Volkswagen, and Seat. Everywhere, he left a strategic mark. He revived Abarth, repositioned the Fiat 500, and led the rise of Cupra, the sports brand of Seat.
His style is recognized: close to products, sensitive to design, rigorous in management, demanding in leadership. He combines a keen marketing vision with a technical understanding of industrial challenges.
A personal and deliberate decision
Luca de Meo’s departure is not the result of a conflict. On the contrary, the statements of Jean-Dominique Senard, chairman of Renault’s board of directors, are filled with respect and recognition. “Luca de Meo has profoundly transformed Renault. He leaves behind a company that is revitalized, structured, and ambitious.”
However, the timing raises questions. His mandate had been renewed for four years in 2024. He was supposed to present the Futurama strategic plan in September 2025, intended to outline the group’s next ten years. His sudden resignation therefore raises questions about future governance.
Kering in search of recovery
At Kering, the situation is tense. In 2024, the group recorded a 12% drop in revenue and a 62% decrease in net income. The decline of Gucci, its flagship brand, weakens the entire structure. In 2025, Kering’s stock has already lost 25% of its value.
The decision to integrate an industrial profile like Luca de Meo marks a break. Kering, historically led by luxury and finance specialists, is clearly seeking to make a cultural shift. The goal: to reconnect with product excellence, streamline operations, and better integrate technologies.
De Meo has never led a luxury house, but his marketing flair, ability to reposition brands, taste for design, and operational leadership are assets in an industry undergoing reconfiguration.
From one industry to another: the new codes of power
The transition of Luca de Meo from Boulogne-Billancourt to the plush offices of Kering in Paris embodies a new mobility. Indeed, it illustrates the mobility of executive elites. Former leaders from tech, finance, or the automotive industry now head luxury houses. Indeed, these experienced leaders have transferred their skills to this prestigious and flourishing sector. Moreover, they also lead cultural or media groups.
This movement reflects a convergence of skills: in a world where brands have become global platforms, product experience, value chain management, and narrative mastery have become cross-disciplinary.
The case of Luca de Meo also illustrates the permeability between two worlds that seemed opposed. Automotive engineering and fashion creation share a common taste for form and functionality. Moreover, they value usage and image, which brings them closer together. More than a career change, it is an extension of scope.
A page turns, a chapter begins
On July 15, Luca de Meo will leave Renault, leaving behind a transformed company still in search of lasting stability. He will join Kering with a blank slate and a horizon to reinvent. Luxury, more than ever, becomes a field of managerial and strategic innovation.
For Kering, this gamble illustrates the urgency of a profound repositioning. For the automotive industry, it reminds us of the fragility of balances.
And for the business world, it confirms a modern truth: skills move, trajectories intersect, and sectors reinvent themselves.