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.

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.

Shares of Kering jumped Monday after reports trickled out beginning Sunday that Kering planned to tap Luca de Meo as its new CEO. The stock closed 13.5% higher. The Paris-based co