Kering’s Luca de Meo Taps HR Executive from Renault

PARIS – Luca de Meo, who officially started Monday as chief executive officer at Kering, has already made his first high-profile external hire, bringing over a human resources specialist from his former employer, Renault Group.

Thomas Cuntz, who spent nine years as vice president, executive and global talent management, at the French carmaker, has joined Kering as global talent development and people engagement head, a newly created role.

Cuntz announced his arrival on his LinkedIn page, saying he will lead “key HR functions at the heart of the Kering people strategy.

“With my new team, I will work to accelerate impact across the group and ensure that HR practices support our strategic goals,” he wrote. “The role includes talent acquisition and management, internal mobility, performance, learning and development, inclusion and diversity, employee engagement through listening, and employee relations.”

A graduate of EDHEC Business School in Paris, Cuntz started his career as head of recruitment, retail banking, for Société Générale. He went on to log 24 years at Renault in a variety of corporate and HR roles, noting that he “experienced incredible transformation, resilience, and growth, partnering with talented and diverse leaders.”

Luxury analysts recently been critical of Kering’s approach to talent management and have been applauding de Meo’s arrival.

In a research note issued Monday, HSBC’s Erwan Rambourg said he trusted that in future “management will not be rewarded on loyalty, connections, or tenure, but only on competence.

“Rejigging staff at Kering could also be similar to what Tiffany went through: keeping some legacy performers, bringing back some who left and were too good to lose, and recruiting from the best in class from other sectors and also within the sector,” he wrote.

In his LinkedIn post, Cuntz said he reports to Béatrice Lazat, chief people officer at Kering since 2016, and said he’s “honored to enter a new sector and contribute to a great adventure, inspired by the strength of the Kering house’s brands and its ongoing transformation.”