Poltrona Frau names Giovanni Baldi, ex-Dolce & Gabbana EMEA president, as new CEO
Baldi spent more than two decades at Gucci before moving to Dolce & Gabbana, and he succeeds a chief executive who held the job for ten years.
Poltrona Frau has appointed Giovanni Baldi as chief executive officer, succeeding Nicola Coropulis. The Italian furniture maker confirmed the move on Monday, saying Baldi most recently served as president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Dolce & Gabbana and spent more than two decades at Gucci before that.
Baldi has worked in fashion for 25 years, across finance, regional management and global business development. Poltrona Frau said he joins the company during what it called a transformative phase in its international development.
Coropulis stepped down after 18 years with the firm, ten of them as chief executive. He has agreed to stay on as a strategic adviser to facilitate Baldi's transition period.
Haworth Lifestyle chief executive Dario Rinero called Baldi's luxury sector experience an essential asset for Poltrona Frau's next phase of growth. Rinero said his knowledge of luxury, experience leading international organisations and ability to combine strategy with operational excellence make him the ideal leader. In a statement, Baldi said fostering relationships to elevate Poltrona Frau's global image is a top priority.
Who owns Poltrona Frau
Poltrona Frau was founded in Turin in 1912 by Renzo Frau and is known for designs including the Vanity Fair and Archibald chairs. It is owned by Haworth Lifestyle, which also holds the historic Italian design houses Cassina, Zanotta, Ceccotti and Cappellini. Haworth Lifestyle is part of the Holland, Michigan based Haworth Group, whose portfolio also includes Janus et Cie, Luminaire, LuxuryLivingGroup and Tuohy.
During Coropulis's tenure, Poltrona Frau introduced a digital product passport in June that uses an NFC tag to record a product's origin, authenticity, quality and life cycle.
In 2024 it joined the Aura Blockchain Consortium, and in April 2025 it became the first major furniture company to turn digital art into commercially ready home pieces, working with Argentinian artist Ezequiel Pini, known as Six N. Five.
The same period brought a roster of design collaborations, including with British interiors and fashion designer Faye Toogood on the Squash collection, Como based duo Draga & Aurel on the Parka sofa, and British menswear designer Ozwald Boateng. Those names built on the firm's heritage of working with external designers.
Fashion executives moving into design
Baldi's move follows a run of fashion-to-design crossovers. Daniel Lalonde went on to lead Flos B&B Group and later Vita, part of Finland's Fiskars Group, after serving as chief executive of SMCP and international president of Ralph Lauren International, with prior roles at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
In April, Haworth Lifestyle recruited John Edelman, a senior figure in American furniture and design, as president for North and South America.
Dolce & Gabbana has faced its own financial strain, having secured a debt waiver from lenders after a fresh operating loss and rising debt. The fashion house has also weighed property sales to shore up liquidity.
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Image: Courtesy of Poltrona Frau