Luca de Meo is a self-proclaimed ‘car guy’ who turned Renault Group around and reinvented Alpine – so his abrupt departure for the world of luxury goods is a sign of headwinds coming for the car indus

Luca de Meo, a seasoned executive with more than three decades of experience in the automotive industry, is set to take the helm at Kering, the French multinational group renowned for its portfolio of luxury brands.

The Gucci owner is banking on an automotive turnaround specialist to fix its luxury brands. Francois-Henri Pinault, the billionaire heir who has headed up the French fashion house Kering Group for the past 20 years,