Diesel has named Eraldo Poletto to be its new global CEO, in a major management shake-up at the Italian jeans brand.

“Diesel, an OTB Group brand, today announces a top management reorganization. Eraldo Poletto will be appointed Global CEO of the brand,” the house said in a terse release.

In a surprise move, Poletto replaces Massimo Piombini, who only joined Diesel in December 2019, after two and a half years as CEO of Balmain in Paris.

“Massimo Piombini, upon fulfilling the task entrusted to him by Founder and Chairman Renzo Rosso and the Group's Board of Directors to design the strategy and repositioning plan for Diesel, will hand over the helm to Eraldo Poletto, who will lead the company from 1 July 2022,” Diesel added.

Diesel is the single largest brand within OTB, the Rosso-controlled group that also controls Martin Margiela, Marni, and Viktor & Rolf, as well as owning the ready-to-wear license to DSquared2.

 

Poletto currently holds the position of Diesel CEO for North America and thus has extensive knowledge of the company. The new CEO has 30 years of experience in the luxury and retail industry and has held senior positions throughout his career, including CEO and brand president at footwear brand Stuart Weitzman, owned by the Tapestry Group, and CEO at Salvatore Ferragamo and Furla, where he drove the global growth of the brands.

 In a related move, Donald Kohler has been appointed to succeed Poletto as Diesel CEO for North America. Seen as a seasoned manager, Kohler has held key positions such as president of Burberry Americas, chief executive officer of Americas & chief retail officer at Ferragamo, and president of Ann Taylor Group.