Perrone Quits as CEO of Italian Suitmaker Brioni, Company Spokeswoman Says

Andrea Perrone resigned as chief executive officer of Italian suitmaker Brioni Roman Style SpA, a spokeswoman for the Penne, Italy-based company said.

Brioni, whose suits have been worn by Clark Gable and James Bond, will release a statement this afternoon, the spokeswoman said today in an e-mail. She asked not to be identified. No other information was available.

Perrone, the 40-year-old grandson of Brioni co-founder Gaetano Savini, was appointed sole CEO in July last year, replacing a governing committee, of which he was part. The move was partly to accelerate decision-making, he said at the time.

Brioni’s family owners ruled out selling a minority stake to cut debt and fund expansion, Perrone said in a June 21 interview. The three controlling families had hired BNP Paribas SA at the end of 2008 to help develop a growth strategy, which could have included selling a stake of at least 20 percent.

To contact the reporter on this story: Andrew Roberts in Paris at Aroberts36@bloomberg.net.