Prada SpA, the Italian fashion group riding high from sales of its namesake loafers and Miu Miu pocket bags, has added two new top lawyers to oversee its in-house legal team after appointing a new chief executive.
Francesca Secondari, a corporate partner at prominent Italian law firm BonelliErede, was tapped by Prada last week to be its new group general counsel and chief legal officer. Secondari succeeds Cristina de Dona, who spent about 18 months in the Milan-based company’s top legal role.
Prada announced last year its recruitment of de Dona, a former international chief counsel for US chocolate maker the Hershey Co. She left Prada last month, according to her LinkedIn profile.
The company’s hire of Secondari to replace her comes roughly six months after Prada named Andrea Guerra—a former head of Italian eyewear giant Luxottica and food specialist Eataly—as its new chief executive.
Prada, which has been seeking to reduce its carbon footprint, last month announced its quarterly revenue rose on strong sales of its luxury brands.
Prada hired Guerra from LVMH, the parent company of luxury brands like Moët, Hennessey, and Louis Vuitton, where he was a senior adviser and head of the French conglomerate’s hospitality division.
Also joining Prada from LVMH earlier this year was the latter’s former vice president of legal affairs, Frank Martinez, who came aboard as its new Americas general counsel. Martinez took over from David Warren following his departure last year for the top US legal role at rival Italian fashion house Gucci.
Secondari, who joined BonelliErede in 2003, made partner at the Italian firm in 2019. She worked out of BonelliErede’s office in Cairo, where she focused on transactions, mergers, and other corporate matters.
BonelliErede has been a key legal adviser to Prada over the years, including advising the company more than a decade ago on the first-ever initial public offering by an Italian company in Hong Kong.
Prada, Secondari, and Martinez didn’t respond to requests for comment.