Luxottica veteran appointed to Coach board

Coach's efforts to regain its upscale brand identity received a boost this month with the addition of a veteran luxury goods retailer to its board of directors.

“We are extremely pleased that Andrea Guerra has agreed to join our board,” said Victor Luis, CEO at Coach Inc. “As Coach continues its transformation into a modern luxury lifestyle brand, Andrea's extensive exposure to a wide variety of best-in-class brands and his broad retail and international experience will prove valuable to our team."

Guerra served as CEO of Luxottica Group. Formerly Guerra spent 10 years at Merloni Elettrodomestici, where he was appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2000. In December 2014 he was named a senior adviser to Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.

Upon his appointment, Guerra said: “I am excited to be joining the Board of Directors of one of the most respected brands in the world. I look forward to supporting Coach and its strategies to transform into a leading luxury lifestyle brand.”

Guerra’s appointment to the board brings the membership to nine.

Coach agreed in January to acquire Stuart Weitzman footwear brand for $530 million, plus up to $44 million in contingent payments to the private equity firm Sycamore Partners. The company has said it will spend $570 million through 2017 to improve stores and wholesale locations, plus $50 million to boost advertising while shutting under-performing outlets.