Ermenegildo Zegna appoints new chief innovation & AI officer

Ermenegildo Zegna has promoted Marco Barberini to group chief of staff officer and chief innovation & AI officer.

Barberini announced his new role, which he took on at the beginning of the year, on the professional networking site LinkedIn on Thursday. He has been with the Zegna brand for almost eight years, which belongs to the Italian fashion group alongside Tom Ford Fashion and Thom Browne. He most recently served as global media and digital business director for Zegna. Previously, he also worked for the online retailer Yoox Net-a-Porter Group (YNAP), most recently as regional director Europe for the Yoox platform.

In his new role, he will drive the implementation of the group's three-year plan in collaboration with the executive management, “by ensuring focus, speed and alignment on strategic priorities”.

As chief of staff office, he will ensure alignment and coordination between the group CEO, the brand CEOs, the group functions and the brand leadership teams. He will also strengthen governance, coordinate priorities and drive disciplined execution across the group.

The role of chief innovation officer focuses on leading the group's digital and data-driven transformation. He will define a unified digital strategy; coordinate cross-functional initiatives; and scale common platforms, capabilities and ways of working “to achieve tangible business impact”.

As chief AI officer, he will define and drive the group's vision and strategy for Artificial Intelligence (AI); identify and scale high-impact use cases; strengthen data governance; and work with IT, HR and managing directors to “anchor AI as a strategic factor for decision-making and performance”.

Barberini's appointment follows the Italian fashion group's announcement of some changes in its management at the end of last year, including the appointment of Gianluca Tagliabue as the new CEO.