Missoni appoints Livio Proli as CEO

At a time when the Covid-19 pandemic is hitting the fashion industry hard, forcing companies to close down completely for two months, Missoni has announced a major change in leadership, to everyone’s surprise. The Italian label has strengthened its executive team by creating the post of CEO, appointing Italian manager Livio Proli to the new role. Missoni has told FashionNetwork.com that Emilio Carbonera Giani, the general manager in charge of the label since 2015, left the company on Monday.

After Italian investment fund Fondo Strategico Italiano acquired a 41.2% stake in Missoni in June 2019, a new management team took charge of the label, with Carbonera Giani as general manager, Angela Missoni as president and Michele Norsa as vice-president.

Proli comes from Giorgio Armani, the group where he spent most of his career, and which he left in March 2019. He was appointed General Manager of the Giorgio Armani group in September 2009, notably in charge of operations and of the commercial side of the business.

He previously led Simint, a manufacturing company bought by Armani in 1996, when it changed its name to GA Operations. Proli was appointed CEO of GA Retail and GA Operations. He was one of the last members of Armani’s long-standing senior executive team to leave the group last year. Until June 2019, Proli was also at the helm of Olimpia Milano, the basketball team owned by Giorgio Armani.

“Livio Proli is tasked with growing Missoni's business in an ambitious and sustainable fashion, taking also into account the new social, economic and financial situation that will be brought about on international markets by the domino effect of the Covid-19 pandemic,” stated Missoni in a press release.

“I am sure that Livio Proli, with his talent and wealth of experience, will be able to tap Missoni’s potential and lead his team effectively, while also making sure it will evolve and adapt to the difficult circumstances we find ourselves in,” said Angela Missoni, who is also the label's creative director.

Missoni appoints Livio Proli as CEO

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