NEW YORK—Luxottica North America announced that it has appointed a new leader within its wholesale team. Valerio Parisi, a seasoned sales and marketing executive with a decade of experience at P&G, joins as vice president of optical key accounts. In his new role, Valerio will lead Luxottica’s key accounts team in capitalizing on new market opportunities as well as organic growth through the company’s sophisticated customer solutions, the company said. In addition, Parisi will be charged with expanding the STARS program, which has been a catalyst for channel growth in North America. He will report into Ludo Ladreyt, SVP sales, optical channel.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Valerio to the team. He has built a reputation inside and outside of Luxottica for his strong leadership and strategic thinking,” said Fabrizio Uguzzoni, president of Luxottica Wholesale North America. “At a time where the market is evolving quickly, we are bringing in talent that understands how to best respond to the challenges and opportunities ahead. I’m confident that Valerio and his team will continue to be great partners to our key account customers, looking to add value and connect more closely on every aspect of the business.”

Parisi joins Luxottica with significant experience in leading sales and marketing teams across the consumer goods and luxury industries. Most recently, he served as general manager Luxottica Wholesale for Spain and Portugal for nearly four years. Prior to joining Luxottica, he spent more than 10 years with Procter & Gamble, where he oversaw market strategy for brands including Pantene and Ariel across Italy and Switzerland.

As leader of P&G’s laundry category in Italy, he launched the liquid tabs segment, a super-premium tier within detergents that helped to enable sustainable growth for the category. Valerio graduated from the prestigious Bocconi University with a degree in Business Administration.

This new hire comes soon after the Luxottica North America division recently announced the reorganization of its independent channel to focus more on brands and reinforce customer support, as VMAIL reported in January . In addition, Luxottica’s new Rewards program has been gaining traction with features such as a dedicated concierge team for customers who qualify for the “Diamond” tier of the program, access to Luxottica University and access to exclusive collections, among other perks.