Italy is mourning the death of Francesco Trapani, the iconic luxury goods executive best known for transforming the Bulgari family business into a global leader in jewelry. He died on September 10 at his home in Rome following an illness. He was 68. Trapani was the great-grandson of Sotirio Bulgari, founder of the Roman jeweler Bulgari, and took over the reins of the company in 1984 at the age of just 27.

A graduate in business economics from the University of Naples, Trapani specialized in business administration at New York University before joining the family company in 1981 as assistant to the chief financial officer. Over the course of three decades, he transformed the historic Roman jeweler into a major player in the international luxury market, accelerating its diversification into watches, perfumes, and accessories, and launching its expansion into the upmarket hotel industry. In 1995, he took Bulgari public on the Milan Stock Exchange.

Under Trapani’s leadership, Bulgari grew from €25 million in revenue, five boutiques, and 80 employees in 1984 to €1.5 billion in sales, 300 stores, and 4,000 employees by 2011.

When the company was sold to LVMH in 2011, it was valued at €4.3 billion. Following the acquisition, Trapani led the integration of Bulgari into the French luxury group, overseeing LVMH’s watch and jewelry division until 2014. He continued to advise Bernard Arnault on jewelry strategy for several years, remaining on LVMH’s board of directors until 2016.

In early 2014, Trapani joined the Italian investment fund Clessidra as chairman. He left in 2017 to join the board of Tiffany & Co., resigning at the end of 2018 following the announcement of the American jeweler’s pending acquisition by LVMH.

He later entered a new chapter in finance, becoming active in several investment groups, including Bluebell Capital Partners, Tages Group, and VAM Investments.

Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of Bulgari, paid tribute to Trapani in a public message, praising his visionary leadership and enduring influence on the jewelry house.