After impressing with his turnaround of French automaker Renault, Luca De Meo is widely expected to be named as the new boss of Gucci owner and luxury powerhouse Kering.

Gucci owner Kering said it was hiring Renault boss Luca de Meo as its new CEO to help revive the debt-laden luxury conglomerate, confirming reports that sent its shares soaring and those of Renault tumbling earlier on Monday.

Reports of de Meo’s switch to Kering sent the luxury group’s shares up by nearly 12% on Monday, recording their biggest one-day percentage gain since November 2008.

The struggling French luxury group is set to name Renault Chief Executive Luca de Meo as CEO, replacing Francois-Henri Pinault, people familiar with the matter said.

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.

Shares of Kering, the luxury-goods company behind Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and other brands, rallied as much as 10% on Monday after reportedly luring Renault’s chief executive to run the company.

The Italian is set to leave Renault next month to become boss of Kering, the struggling owner of Gucci and Saint Laurent, from mid-September. While de Meo has spent his entire career in the car industry, he has been making discreet overtures to the luxury industry for some time, according to two people with knowledge of the situation.

LONDON (Reuters) -News of Renault Chief Executive Luca de Meo's decision to leave the French carmaker and subsequent reports of him being lined up to take charge at luxury goods group Kering has created a stir across their respective sectors. Here's some initial reaction from analysts.

Kering shares soared in early trade as investors and analysts cheered reports that industry outsider Luca de Meo was set to become group CEO.

Kering setzt bei seinem nächsten Vorstandsvorsitzenden auf den Noch-Renault-Chef. Der Italiener hat den französischen Automobilhersteller erfolgreich saniert und soll seine Fähigkeiten nun auch beim angeschlagenen Modelabel Gucci unter Beweis stellen.