“Leadership is making clarity out of complexity.” Francesco Pesci, a luxury executive with 30+ years of experience across Italy, France, Denmark, and Japan, joins Kevin Hong to unpack what it takes to lead across cultures, turn around heritage brands, and build organizations that can win internationally without forcing one leadership style everywhere.

Francesco’s career spans Brioni (including its acquisition by Kering), Damiani Japan, CEO roles driving transformation and profitability, and leading Danish heritage house Georg Jensen through a digital acceleration during the pandemic. Most recently, he served as Managing Director at Lancel in Paris. Across these roles, one message stays consistent: global leadership is not about having the “right” playbook. It is about adaptation, trust, and execution.

In this episode:

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟯 pivotal career transitions that shaped Francesco’s leadership: early immersion in Japan, the leap from sales into a CEO role, and the cultural reset of leading in Scandinavia
𝗪𝗵𝘆 sales experience can create stronger CEOs: learning the customer, but also learning how the full organization works end-to-end
𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 across cultures: how hierarchy, transparency, and feedback norms vary widely by country
𝗛𝗼𝘄 to get real feedback from teams: and why the “right” forum for pushback differs by culture
𝗧𝗵𝗲 HQ vs local challenge: why global teams resist complexity, and what leaders can do to build alignment without forcing uniformity
𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 in luxury today: credibility, pricing discipline, internal culture, and why brands must be consistent inside and out
𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 advice for future leaders: adaptability, in-person networks, and patience in an industry that looks glamorous but demands serious craft

If you lead across borders, manage teams across cultures, or want a clearer view of what global leadership looks like in real life, this conversation is a practical masterclass in how experienced executives think, decide, and adapt.

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If the topics discussed resonate with your own leadership challenges or the conversations happening in your organization - assessing international leaders, aligning global and local teams, building capabilities across regions. You can reach us at LYC Partners to set up a consultation.

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Produced by Bonjour Podcast (Melanie Hong), Leaders in Motion blends storytelling, strategy, and data-driven insight, giving today’s leaders a roadmap to anticipate tomorrow’s challenges and lead with intention.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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19. From Europe to Asia: Luxury Turnarounds, Cross-Cultural Leadership, and Making Clarity from Complexity with Francesco Pesci