Del Vecchio plans resignation from EssilorLuxottica amid rift

Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio, heir to Luxottica founder Leonardo Del Vecchio, will step down from all management roles at EssilorLuxottica, including chairman of Ray-Ban and chief strategy officer, with the change effective August 31. The move follows reports of tensions with CEO Francesco Milleri, and Del Vecchio criticized the group’s leadership as distant and impersonal in a letter to the board. Delfin, the Del Vecchio family holding company and EssilorLuxottica’s largest shareholder, controls about 32.4% and will continue to defend the company’s independence and long-term growth, while Del Vecchio himself will remain a shareholder with roughly 12.5%. He argued that leadership should center people and allegiance, not merely deliver results or rely on slogans, echoing disappointment with how the founder’s principles are viewed today. The company acknowledged his contributions and wished him success in his new ventures as he departs.