PADOVA, Italy -- Safilo Group (SFL.MI) has announced that Luisa D. Delgado will be appointed as the new CEO of Safilo Group and Safilo Spa effective October 15, 2013 in a succession plan for current CEO, Roberto Vedovotto.

Vedovotto will maintain his position on the Safilo board of directors as a non executive at that time.

Delgado, 46, is currently a non executive Safilo board member.

She is also currently a member of the global executive board and chief human resources officer of SAP AG and a non executive director at INGKA/IKEA. Before SAP she spent 21 years at Procter & Gamble (P&G) where she worked in several local and international roles in Portugal, the UK, Belgium, Switzerland and Sweden.

In her last role at P&G as vice president and CEO, Nordic region she was responsible for the turnaround of the P&G business in the Nordic region, taking the lead in digital marketing.

Delgado is a Swiss national who graduated from the Université de Genève, and holds a LLM from King’s College/University of London.

Safilo Group has undergone significant changes since Vedovotto rejoined the company as CEO in January 2009. In its statement, the company noted, "The Group is today on a much stronger financial and operational footing, has improved its overall business performance and has strengthened its global management organization."

It added, "The Board of Directors expresses its utmost gratitude to Roberto Vedovotto for his leadership, dedication and tremendous work he has done to improve the future of the company."

Delgado will join Safilo Group on September 15.

Safilo Group will mark its 80th anniversary in 2014.

A leader in the premium eyewear sector for sunglasses, optical frames and sports eyewear, Safilo Group has an international presence through 30 owned subsidiaries in primary markets – in America, Europe and Asia – and exclusive distributors. Safilo produces and distributes its house brands – Safilo, Carrera, Polaroid, Smith Optics, Oxydo – and the licensed brands Alexander McQueen, Banana Republic, Bobbi Brown (starting from 2014), BOSS, BOSS Orange, Bottega Veneta, Céline, Dior, Fossil, Gucci, HUGO, J.Lo by Jennifer Lopez, Jimmy Choo, Juicy Couture, Kate Spade, Liz Claiborne, Marc Jacobs, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Max Mara, Max&Co., Pierre Cardin, Saint Laurent, Saks Fifth Avenue and Tommy Hilfiger.