ROME (Reuters) -Francesco Trapani, the former Bulgari CEO who led the Italian luxury brand for three decades and orchestrated its sale to French conglomerate LVMH, has died at the age of 68, a public relations agency representing him said on Thursday.
Trapani “passed away peacefully” on Wednesday at home in Rome, Barabino & Partners said in a statement.
A descendant of the Bulgari family, Trapani became CEO in 1984 and expanded the brand from jewellery into new categories — including watches, fragrances, leather goods, and luxury hospitality — while accelerating its international growth.
He took Bulgari public on the Italian stock exchange in July 1995, a status maintained until 2011 when the company became part of LVMH. He left the company in 2014.
Trapani held senior roles at the Italian private equity fund Clessidra, the activist hedge fund Bluebell Capital and Partners, Tiffany, Tages Group, and VAM Investments.
(Wrtiting by Francesca Piscioneri, editing by Alvise Armellini and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
