NEW ROLE: Valentino is expanding its team.
Tanja Ruhnke will be joining the couture house as chief communication officer, effective April 7. She will report to chief marketing officer Yigit Turhan, who joined the company in 2018.
Most recently Ruhnke was chief marketing officer of Maison Margiela.
This is a return to Valentino for Ruhnke, as before joining Margiela in 2020 she was vice president of communication and marketing North America for the brand.
She brings to Valentino her expertise in the luxury industry developed over the years as vice president of global branding and communications at Alexander Wang, and before that, as a vice president of public relations at KCD in Paris.
Ruhnke has also worked in-house at Helmut Lang and production agency North6 in New York, and provided communication consulting services for the likes of Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Birkenstock.
Valentino is led by chief executive officer Jacopo Venturini. Alessandro Michele was named creative director in March last year.
In July 2023, Kering revealed it bought a 30 percent stake in Valentino for 1.7 billion euros in cash as part of a broader strategic partnership with Qatari investment fund Mayhoola, which controls the couture brand.
Kering has an option to buy 100 percent of Valentino’s capital by 2028, while Mayhoola could become a shareholder in Kering. The luxury partners are expected to jointly explore further opportunities aligned with their respective strategies, including potential investments beyond fashion.