‘The future of retail is retailtainment’: An interview with Louis Vuitton CEO and president Pietro Beccari

A company like Vuitton relies on a diverse team of characteristics and needs. And Beccari knows this well: “A good manager is the one who brings out the best in people, who knows how to offer the right support to each person when they need it. I think I can say that in my career many people have been able to bring out the best in themselves. And I say that with pride.”

Beccari may not have become a football player, but he brings a strategic and team-focused mindset to Louis Vuitton. “There is a lot of my being a sportsman in this. It stems from the fact that I trained every day from the age of 13 to 22, which taught me a strong sense of discipline, but also the value of the collective, the team, sacrifice and the beauty of winning,” he says. “Because if you win, you get used to winning and keep winning. If you never win, you don’t know what it means and you are less motivated to do it.”

Starting out discussing design and culture, we conclude our interview by talking about books. What are you reading now? “A coaching book: The First Rule of Mastery by Michael Gervais, a great motivator of athletes. He argues that CEOs are like athletes who have to perform at high levels. He talks about the ‘fear of people’s opinions’ (FOPO), which often holds us back. We do many things out of fear of judgment or because we follow the advice of others, following common sense or what has already been done. In reality, we betray what we would really do and slow down our potential. Alongside, I am also reading a collection of maxims and reflections — from Marcus Aurelius to Hadrian to Seneca — in search of the balance that, with work, we sometimes risk losing.”

Pietro Beccari.

Photo: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton

Before parting ways, we ask for a maxim that sums up his human and entrepreneurial vision. He smiles and admits: “I have many! A phrase that often comes to mind is, ‘Don’t think big, think huge. Or, ‘Dream, dare, do.’ It’s not enough to dream, you have to dream big. You also have to dare, because if you dream without daring, dreams remain just dreams. Successful people are those who can turn dreams into reality, and I would like to be one of them — I would like my team to think like that, too.” The dream can be a boutique full of ideas, a palace where art can be discovered, a collection of design objects, a fashion project that becomes part of the cultural zeitgeist. The important thing is that there is a team.

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