Henri Pinault's decision to hire Renault boss Luca de Meo is an audacious but necessary move to address the twin challenge of sagging sales and mounting debt at luxury group Kering, investors and industry players say.

While fixing French carmaker Renault SA, Chief Executive Officer Luca de Meo pursued a hobby that would feed into his next job as CEO of Kering SA: A taste for the finer things in life, particularly Swiss watches.

In March it appointed Demna Gvasalia from its Balenciaga brand as chief designer, and has also appointed new designers at Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent and Bottega Veneta.