Lede: Bulgari has appointed Laura Burdese as chief executive officer, effective July 1, 2026 — a planned succession that safeguards the maison’s premium positioning and signals continuity in strategy with direct implications for pricing power and retail momentum in the U.S.
- Role: CEO, Bulgari
- Effective date: July 1, 2026
- Previous role: Deputy CEO & Chief Marketing Officer, Bulgari; former CEO, Acqua di Parma
- Reports to: Stéphane Bianchi (LVMH Watches & Jewellery)
- Published: December 18, 2025
Background in brief
Laura Burdese arrives with a decade inside LVMH and a career that spans beauty, watches and luxury brand building. She joined Bulgari in 2022 as chief marketing officer, was named deputy CEO in July 2024 and will succeed Jean‑Christophe Babin, who steps down after more than 25 years in senior roles across TAG Heuer and Bulgari. The hand‑delivered nature of this transition — announced well ahead of the handover date — preserves the substantial heft of executive continuity and reduces execution risk for ongoing initiatives.
Context: what this means in 2025–26
In the current luxury cycle, buyers and investors prize provenance, craft and experiential depth. Bulgari has been reinforcing those attributes — expanding its Valenza manufacturing footprint, founding the Scuola Bulgari and extending into luxury hospitality — moves that increase the maison’s structural value beyond product revenue. Burdese’s marketing and brand‑elevation record maps directly onto three 2025 trends that will shape the coming year: a) sustained consumer willingness to pay for verifiable Italian craftsmanship; b) the premium tier’s insulation from short‑term shifts in the lab‑grown diamond market; and c) a shift toward sculptural, architecture‑driven designs that favor high‑margin statement pieces over volume-driven SKUs.
Her appointment signals that LVMH intends to keep Bulgari on a trajectory of experiential premiumisation rather than pursue disruptive repositioning. For suppliers and partners, that means continued investment in artisanal workshops, controlled supply chains and curated hospitality collaborations rather than a move toward cost-led scale.
Impact for U.S. retailers and investors
For U.S. jewellery retailers, the practical consequence is predictability. A July 2026 handover gives merchandising teams and wholesale partners an 18‑month window to align assortments, marketing calendars and price architecture with Bulgari’s elevated positioning. Expect sustained emphasis on high‑watch content, high‑jewellery launches with visible provenance cues, and integrated in‑store experiences tied to Bulgari’s hotels and events calendar — all of which preserve gross margins and resale desirability.
For investors, the succession reduces governance risk and preserves the value proposition that justified Bulgari’s premium multiples: a differentiated design language, deep technical watchmaking and a vertically supported Italian production base. Key watchpoints for near‑term performance will be same‑store sales in North America, the rollout cadence for high‑jewellery releases in H2 2026, and capital allocation toward hospitality versus core product investment.
Near‑term risks and signals
Risks are largely executional. Any deviation from the announced continuity — changes in creative direction, unexpected cost rationalisations, or slower hospitality revenues — would be market signals to watch. Conversely, early moves that underline craft (expanded production capacity in Valenza, public sustainability audits, or new artisanal training initiatives) will strengthen the maison’s premium tariff and secondary‑market appeal.
The take
Bulgari’s choice of Laura Burdese reads as deliberate and conservative: an internal marketer with operational experience who has overseen recent brand elevation. For U.S. retailers and investors this is not a moment of disruption but a window to plan — to lean into Bulgari’s tactile attributes (the vitreous luster of its gemstones, the substantial heft of its watches) and to position assortments for sustained premium demand through 2026 and beyond.
Image Referance: https://uk.fashionnetwork.com/news/Bulgari-appoints-laura-burdese-as-new-ceo,1793041.html