Santa Maria Novella appoints alumna of Prada and Bottega Veneta as its new CEO

Santa Maria Novella has announced that Giovanna Paoloni will take the reins from Gian Luca Perris, who has been at the helm of the heritage Florentine apothecary since 2020. Perris, who hails from a family of perfumers, pushed forward the fragrance offering for Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica, bringing what is arguably the oldest beauty brand in the world – founded by Franciscan monks in 1221 – into the 21st century.

‘It is important to create innovations, while still keeping in mind the roots that allowed this company to last until now,’ Perris told Wallpaper’s Mary Cleary when she interviewed him in 2023. ‘The monks were great innovators – they were researching new ingredients, making new formulas, working with the Medici family to invest in chemistry and in pharmaceuticals; so we need to keep that in mind, but we also need to go back from time to time and reboot things from the archive.’

Santa Maria Novella appoints a new CEO

It makes sense, then, that Giovanna Paoloni will continue what Perris started, with her 20 years of experience at Italian fashion houses. (Paoloni began her career in 2004 between Milan and London at Armani, joined the Prada Group’s Northern Europe division in 2007, working in wholesale and then in retail, and was retail director of beauty at Harrods before taking a position as the manager of Northern European business for Bottega Veneta in 2019.) ‘I feel the pride and responsibility to take over the leadership of this historic brand, a heritage of Italian values and beauty that has no equal in the world,’ said Paoloni in a statement released today (25 January 2024).

Carlo Pesenti, the president of Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella has also thanked Gian Luca Perris for his work, whilst underlining the reasons behind Paoloni’s appointment. ‘... we are certain that thanks to her expertise, international experience and strategic vision, Giovanna Paoloni will be able to give further impetus to the global development of Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella,’ he said.

‘My goal will be to accompany the brand in the next phase of internationalisation and strong growth,’ added Paoloni, ‘... with a particular focus on product development and the excellence of our retail strategy, along with the opening of new markets.’

smnovella.com