Laura Burdese has been named as the President and CEO of Acqua di Parma.
Chris de Lapuente,Chairman and CEO of LVMH announced the appointment and said that she will replace Gabriella Scarpa, who will continue in her role as Chairman of LVMH Italy.
Burdese previously worked as a Brand Manager at L’Oréal and Beiersdorf. In 1999 she joined Swatch Group, initially as Marketing Manager, before gradually taking on more responsibilities. She was named Brand Manager for ck Calvin Klein Watches and Jewelry in 2001 and Country Manager of Italy for the Swatch Group in 2006.
She was then appointed Managing Director of Swatch Group Italy. In addition to this role, she was appointed President and CEO of Calvin Klein Watches, a joint venture between Calvin Klein and Swatch, in 2012.
Burdese has a Masters in Marketing and Communication from the University of Trieste, Italy, and a degree in International Economics. Meanwhile, Scarpa has served as President and CEO of Acqua di Parma since 2001, when the brand was first purchased by LVMH.
Earlier this year, Acqua di Parma celebrated its 100th anniversary with a range of limited edition products and exclusive scents. Acqua di Parma was originally created in the historic old town of Parma. Its light and refreshing scent was unusual at the time and became a hugely successful product.
Since LVMH took over, the brand has added fragrance and skin care products as well as homeware items and small leather goods to its line-up. Fragrance remains the brand’s focus, with an emphasis placed on sticking to the brand’s simple aesthetic and limited retail outlets. Acqua di Parma is available in 1,800 places across the globe.
Fragrances have helped LVMH’s recent financial results, which have suffered as a result of declining fashion sales in recent years. Perfumes and cosmetics were said to have grown 8% in the nine months to October 2016, despite what LVMH called an “uncertain” currency environment.
