Kering Hires Pierre Houlès to Build Digital Model Enabled By AI

Global luxury fashion group Kering, which includes brands such as Gucci, Saint Laurent and Balenciaga, has hired Pierre Houlès as its chief digital, AI and IT officer.

Houlès joins the company's executive committee, reporting to group COO Jean Marc Duplaix, and is tasked with building an AI-enabled business model to support operational and technological ambitions while driving performance. 

He will help transform Kering's tech architecture and bolster its digital strategy, building on brand efforts such as Balenciaga's agentic AI push to bring tech-enabled optimizations to the wider organization.  

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Houlès brings experience in large-scale transformations and AI integrations for complex systems. Prior to joining Kering, he served as the deputy group CIO and digital general manager at car manufacturer Renault Group. 

In that role, he helped lead the company's digital transformation with a focus on Industry 4.0 and data. He deployed digital twins and embedded stronger data practices within the supply chain to better manage performance, according to a recent LinkedIn post.

Before that, he led major transformation projects and IT modernizations for tech company Capgemini and streaming channel Canal+.