Francesco Milleri
Chairman and chief executive of EssilorLuxottica
Francesco Milleri is the chairman and chief executive of EssilorLuxottica, the world's largest eyewear group and the licensee or owner of many fashion eyewear brands. A former digital consultant who led the digitisation of Luxottica, he became Leonardo Del Vecchio's closest lieutenant and in 2022 succeeded him as chairman of both EssilorLuxottica and the family holding Delfin.
| Role | Chairman and chief executive, EssilorLuxottica |
|---|---|
| Chairman since | June 2022 |
| Born | 1959 |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Also | Chairman of Delfin |
| Earlier venture | Founded Abstract (1996) |
Who is Francesco Milleri?
Francesco Milleri, born in Città di Castello in 1959, leads EssilorLuxottica, the Franco Italian group formed by the combination of Luxottica and Essilor. The group owns brands such as Ray-Ban and Oakley, makes eyewear under licence for many fashion and luxury houses and operates large optical retail networks, which makes it one of the most important partners of the fashion industry in accessories.
Career
Milleri studied law at the University of Florence, earned an MBA at Bocconi University and spent two years at NYU Stern School of Business on a Donato Menichella scholarship. In 1996 he founded Abstract, a strategic and digital consultancy specialising in process automation. From 2006 Abstract worked with Luxottica, and Milleri led the digitisation of its business processes, which brought him into Leonardo Del Vecchio's inner circle.
- Luxottica: director with deputy functions, then vice president and deputy chairman
- Luxottica: chief executive from December 2017
- EssilorLuxottica: executive co delegate from May 2019, chief executive from 2020
- Delfin: chairman of the Del Vecchio family holding company since June 2022
- EssilorLuxottica: chairman and chief executive since 28 June 2022
Influence on the fashion business
EssilorLuxottica sits at the intersection of fashion, healthcare and technology. Its licensing business produces sunglasses and optical frames for many leading fashion houses, while its own brands and retail chains give it unusual control over the whole eyewear value chain. As chairman and chief executive, Milleri oversees this vertically integrated model and decisions on which fashion licences to hold, renew or take in house.
Through his chairmanship of Delfin, which holds the Del Vecchio family's stakes in EssilorLuxottica and other companies, Milleri also plays a central role in one of Italy's most significant pools of industrial and financial capital.
Francesco Milleri and technology
Technology is the starting point of Milleri's career rather than an add on. His consultancy Abstract specialised in document flow automation and digital transformation, and his first assignment at Luxottica was the digitisation of the company's business processes. Under his leadership EssilorLuxottica partnered with Meta on the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses launched in September 2023, which combine a camera, audio and the Meta AI voice assistant in a classic Ray-Ban frame.
Why it matters
Milleri is an example of a digital consultant who rose to lead a global consumer goods group. For fashion brands, EssilorLuxottica's choices on licensing, retail and wearable technology shape a category that is both commercially important and increasingly digital.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Francesco Milleri?
Francesco Milleri is the chairman and chief executive of EssilorLuxottica and chairman of Delfin, the Del Vecchio family holding. He succeeded Leonardo Del Vecchio as chairman in 2022.
What is Francesco Milleri's background?
Milleri trained in law and business and founded the digital consultancy Abstract in 1996. He led the digitisation of Luxottica's business processes before becoming its chief executive in 2017.