Giampietro Dotto

Retail Network Governance & Execution executive with over three decades of experience across complex distribution and multi-site retail systems, from dealer network governance within Volkswagen Group Italy to the development and management of multi-site retail networks, both directly operated and franchised. I operate where retail network complexity begins to exceed decision clarity, and where performance issues are often the result of misalignment between commercial planning, store economics, capital allocation and execution. My work focuses on restoring decision coherence across the network, making performance economically visible, actionable and governable at store, format and portfolio level.

I translate this alignment into measurable EBIT improvement, addressing both store performance and the underlying cost structure. This approach has been progressively consolidated into the Retail Network Governance System (RNGS): a decision governance architecture designed to make complex retail and distribution networks readable, scalable and governable as they grow.

Executive Operating Mandates (Permanent & Interim Leadership) at Executive Operating Mandates (2020-01 – Present)

Selected mandates establishing structural clarity across governance, commercial planning and execution, driving measurable performance improvement

• Acted as operating counterpart to owners and CEOs in performance-critical situations
• Drove realignment across commercial planning, pricing logic, inventory structure and execution
• Led margin recovery initiatives and resource reallocation across constrained cost structures
• Supported decision-making on prioritisation, process redesign and operational stabilisation
• Delivered measurable improvements in margin, efficiency and decision clarity across SME and distribution environments

Senior Leadership – DOS & Franchise Retail Networks – Multi-Site Distribution Systems at DOS & Franchise Retail Networks (1999-01 – 2020-12)

Led the development and scaling of multi-site retail networks across direct and franchise models, integrating commercial planning, expansion and capital allocation into coherent operating systems

• Full P&L accountability across expanding DOS and franchise networks
• Defined commercial planning architecture, pricing discipline and assortment logic
• Drove expansion strategy through location selection, franchising models and capital allocation frameworks
• Built KPI systems linking store performance to financial outcomes
• Ensured alignment between network growth, execution discipline and economic performance
• Translated network expansion into sustained margin improvement, productivity growth and capital efficiency

Commercial Director at SEAT dealership (1996-01 – 1998-12)

Moved from multinational HQ network governance to direct field execution, managing dealership sales, local market pressure, customer-facing operations, after-sales coordination, OEM standards and immediate P&L impact

Consultant at OEM-related distribution start-ups (1996-01 – 1998-12)

Head of Legal Affairs & SEAT Strategic Project Director at Volkswagen Group Italy (1990-01 – 1996-12)

Leadership roles within Volkswagen Group Italy (Audi, Volkswagen, SEAT, Škoda) dealer network governance

• Legal & commercial governance across national dealer networks
• Vehicle allocation governance and quota management across the national dealer network
• Oversight of pricing policy compliance and network profitability discipline
• Alignment between manufacturer policy and local market execution
• This experience established the foundation of governance-driven capital discipline later applied to multi-site retail systems

Law Degree in Law (1988-12)

Executive Education in AI Strategy & Governance – Wharton School | University of Pennsylvania