As always, luxury labels like to play a game of musical chairs. At the end of 2024, Valérie Leberichel left Givenchy, where she held the post of vice-president in charge of global communication, to take on a similar role at Gucci. Earlier in 2024, Benjamin Cercio stepped down from his role as communication director at the Kering-owned Italian house to set up Bencercio, his own communication and brand strategy consulting agency, which has now been put in charge of global communication for Givenchy, the label told FashionNetwork.com.

Through Bencercio, and while continuing to take care of his other clients, Cercio will oversee the brand image, public relations, events, digital, visual merchandising, and heritage departments for the Parisian label worldwide, with the aim of strengthening Givenchy’s global presence and its brand identity. Cercio will be working closely with Givenchy CEO Alessandro Valenti and Creative Director Sarah Burton.

This is a crucial time for LVMH-owned Givenchy. In March, the label will unveil the first collection by new designer Burton who, having worked for her entire career at Kering’s Alexander McQueen, until October 2023, joined Givenchy in September 2024, taking up the position vacated nine months earlier by US designer Matthew M. Williams. Givenchy is set to start a brand-new chapter as it relaunches under Burton’s aegis, accompanied by a thorough image overhaul.

Cercio is extremely familiar with the LVMH group. He effectively came of age at Louis Vuitton, where he worked for 19 years, taking on increasingly senior roles. He was named global head of relations with the press, influencers and the entertainment industry in 2018, a few weeks after Virgil Abloh was appointed creative director of men’s ready-to-wear. In November 2022, he moved to the competition, at Kering, joining Italian luxury label Gucci as global communication director.