General counsel – Kering Italia and luxury goods international | Kering Group
Rémi Leonforte
General counsel – Kering Italia and luxury goods international | Kering Group
General counsel group operations | Kering
Remi Leonforte’s academic history includes both finance and law which is reflected in roles in banking and financial services prior to joining PPR (now Kering), the French holding company for multiple luxury goods. He states that when he left banking he was ‘worried about jumping into a new position in-house, ending up in a routine, but now I never get bored, you have to change and be flexible in this role’. First as corporate legal counsel at Kering, Leonforte handled the stock market and securities for the listed companies and French subsidiaries. Two years later he started managing the disposal operations and the initial public offering (IPO) of the main subsidiary. Sitting as the secretary of the board after an integration encouraged restructuring of the group, Leonforte was tasked with European corporate matters in order to solidify ties with colleagues in other countries. Meticulous knowledge of the group’s European activities led to his promotion to act as the general counsel for Kering Italy and Luxury Goods International. Changes underway, Leonforte is aiming to bridge the gap between the legal team, the managers of production sites and logistics platforms while continuing to provide a pillar of support to the non-Italian brands in Italy. Assisting Kering in both the rebrand and internal restructuring, Leonforte utilises financial and legal tools to direct the company and combine corporate and legal concerns.