Peter Kern

Peter Kern
Nationality	American
Occupation	Business executive, investor
Known for	CEO and Vice Chairman of Expedia Group; acquisition of La Perla

Peter Kern is an American business executive, investor, and billionaire who served as the chief executive officer and vice chairman of Expedia Group, one of the world's largest online travel companies. His tenure at Expedia placed him at the helm of a global enterprise during a period of significant disruption in the travel industry. Following his departure from Expedia, Kern turned his attention to private investment, most notably acquiring the Italian luxury lingerie brand La Perla in 2025 through a newly created entity, La Perla Atelier S.r.l. His career has spanned leadership roles in media, technology, and travel, and his move into the luxury fashion sector marked a notable expansion of his business interests beyond the digital and travel industries.

Career

Expedia Group

Peter Kern rose to prominence in the corporate world through his leadership at Expedia Group, where he served as vice chairman and chief executive officer. Expedia Group, headquartered in Seattle, Washington, is one of the largest online travel companies in the world, operating a portfolio of brands including Expedia, Hotels.com, Vrbo, and Trivago, among others. Kern's role at Expedia placed him at the center of the global travel industry during a transformative period shaped by technological change and, most significantly, the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Details regarding the precise dates of Kern's appointment and departure from the CEO role are not fully specified in available sourced material, though multiple news outlets from 2025 consistently refer to him as the "former vice-president and CEO of Expedia" and "former chief executive of U.S. travel giant Expedia Group." His leadership at Expedia was instrumental in shaping the company's strategic direction and navigating complex market dynamics in the online travel space.

Acquisition of La Perla

Following his tenure at Expedia Group, Kern emerged as a significant private investor. In June 2025, it was announced that Kern would acquire La Perla, the storied Italian luxury lingerie brand that had fallen into severe financial difficulty. Reuters reported on June 10, 2025, that "Italy's troubled luxury lingerie company La Perla will be rescued and taken over by Peter Kern, the former chief executive of U.S. travel giant Expedia Group." The acquisition was described across multiple international outlets as a rescue of the brand, which had been in administration and facing the prospect of closure.

FashionNetwork USA reported that "the new owner of Italian luxury lingerie label La Perla is US billionaire Peter Kern, the former vice-president and CEO of Expedia," confirming Kern's status as the sole acquirer of the brand. The French luxury publication Luxus Plus similarly reported that "La Perla, the brand, its production site, and its employees will be taken over entirely by American businessman Peter Kern." The deal encompassed the La Perla brand itself, its production facilities, and its workforce.

The acquisition was carried out through a newly created corporate entity, La Perla Atelier S.r.l., which Kern controlled. On October 1, 2025, the transfer of La Perla's assets to the new entity was finalized. Leaders League reported that "on October 1, the assets of the La Perla Group were transferred to La Perla Atelier S.r.l., a company controlled by investor Peter Kern." FashionNetwork USA confirmed that the sale of La Perla's Italian and United Kingdom units to Kern's La Perla Atelier was now official, noting that "La Perla Manufacturing's 163 employees will be the first to join the newly created entity."

The transaction involved a reported acquisition price of approximately €25 million, according to Modaes, a fashion industry publication. The same outlet reported that the Italian luxury lingerie brand would revive its Bologna production plant and re-employ approximately 200 workers following the acquisition. The restart of production at the Bologna facility was seen as a significant development both for the brand and for the local workforce, many of whom had faced unemployment during La Perla's financial troubles.

The La Perla acquisition attracted widespread international media attention, not only because of the brand's heritage in Italian luxury fashion but also because of the unusual profile of the buyer—an American technology and travel executive entering the European luxury goods sector. Multiple outlets characterized Kern as a billionaire, reflecting the scale of his personal wealth accumulated through his career in corporate leadership and investment.

La Perla Atelier: Reviving the Brand

Under Kern's ownership through La Perla Atelier S.r.l., plans were announced to restart the brand's operations in Italy, with a particular focus on its historic production facilities in Bologna. Modaes reported that "Italian luxury lingerie brand revives its Bologna production plant, re-employing 200 workers following a €25 million acquisition." The re-employment of the former La Perla workforce was a central element of the acquisition, and the deal's structure was designed to preserve both the brand's manufacturing heritage and the jobs of its skilled artisans.

The transfer process was carried out in stages. FashionNetwork USA reported that La Perla Manufacturing's 163 employees were the first to join the newly created entity, with the transfer of additional La Perla units to follow. Leaders League noted that the asset transfer was completed on October 1, 2025, formalizing Kern's control over the brand's operations.

The acquisition of La Perla represented a departure from Kern's previous focus on the technology and travel sectors. His willingness to invest a substantial sum in a distressed European luxury brand signaled a broader investment strategy and an interest in brand revitalization and heritage manufacturing. The deal was also notable in the context of the broader challenges facing the Italian luxury fashion industry, where several historic brands have struggled with financial difficulties in recent years.

Personal Life

Peter Kern is an American national. He has been described in multiple international news sources as a billionaire, reflecting the scale of his personal wealth. Beyond these publicly documented facts, detailed information about Kern's personal life, family, or private interests is not extensively covered in available sourced material.

It should be noted that there are several other notable individuals named Peter Kern, including an Austrian actor and filmmaker (1949–2015), a German-born American businessman and politician active in the 19th century (1835–1907), and an American jeweler and real-estate entrepreneur (1860–1937). The subject of this article is distinct from all of these individuals.

Recognition

Peter Kern's acquisition of La Perla in 2025 generated significant international media coverage, with reports appearing in Reuters, FashionNetwork USA, Luxus Plus, Leaders League, and Modaes, among other outlets. The deal was widely reported as a rescue of one of Italy's most recognized luxury fashion brands, and Kern's role as the acquirer drew attention to his profile as a prominent American investor and former technology executive.

His leadership of Expedia Group, one of the largest companies in the global travel industry, also placed him among the most prominent executives in the technology and travel sectors during his tenure. The combination of his Expedia background and his subsequent move into luxury fashion investment has given Kern a distinctive profile that spans multiple industries.

Legacy

Peter Kern's career trajectory—from corporate leadership at one of the world's largest online travel companies to private investment in European luxury fashion—illustrates a pattern increasingly seen among prominent technology executives who leverage their experience and capital in new sectors. His acquisition of La Perla was notable not only for the scale of the investment but also for its impact on the workforce and manufacturing heritage of the brand. The re-employment of approximately 200 workers at the Bologna production plant and the preservation of La Perla's brand identity were central features of the deal, and were highlighted in media coverage as evidence of a commitment to the continuity of Italian luxury craftsmanship.

The La Perla acquisition also drew attention to the broader dynamics of international investment in European heritage brands, a trend that has seen American and other non-European investors play an increasingly significant role in the ownership and revitalization of iconic fashion houses. Kern's involvement in this space, following a career in digital technology and travel, underscored the cross-sector mobility of contemporary business leaders and the growing intersection of technology, finance, and luxury goods.