Gucci has sought to pave way for further expansion at Stella McCartney, its British fashion house, with the appointment of Frederick Lukoff as the new chief executive.

Mr Lukoff, 39, was poached from Lanvin, the French fashion house, where he was director of business development and widely credited with a steady rise in sales.

His arrival at the house founded in 2001 by the daughter of Paul McCartney coincides with the opening of stores in Moscow, Beijing, Hong Kong, Paris and Tokyo this year, as the business seeks to develop abroad.

Stella McCartney Ltd - known for its opposition to the use of fur products - made its first profit, of £180,000 in 2007, after losing £1.2 million the previous year.

Last month, it announced a profit of £1.1 million after a 24 per cent rise in sales - this at a time when Gucci Group, its parent, has seen its shares lose two thirds of their value this year.

Mr Lukoff, who has US and Dutch passports and a Belgian university education, had been managing director of Paco Rabanne, another French fashion brand, before joining Lanvin.

He is described as a safe pair of hands capable of guiding Stella McCartney's expansion overseas.

Robert Polet, Gucci chief executive, said: “He has solid references in the development of luxury brands.”

However, his arrival in a company which usually favours internal promotion highlighted difficulties at Gucci following the announcement this autumn that Mark Lee was quitting as chief executive.

Patrizio di Marco was moved from Bottega Veneta, another Gucci brand, to replace Mr Lee and Marco Bizzarri stepped down as chief executive of Stella McCartney to take over at Bottega Veneta.

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