EssilorLuxottica has clear succession planning for top roles, director says

MILAN, Oct 27 (Reuters) - EssilorLuxottica has clear and strong succession plans for the role of chief executive and other senior executives, the head of the board's nominations committee at the French-Italian eyewear giant said on Tuesday.

His comments follow a radio interview by one of the heirs of late Luxottica founder Leonardo Del Vecchio, who complained about EssilorLuxottica CEO Francesco Milleri's alleged failure to prepare for his eventual succession at the helm.

"Any reports casting doubt on the strength of the succession planning at the top are entirely unfounded and damaging to the company's image and to the professionalism of its managers," Andrea Zappia, who chairs EssilorLuxottica's nominations and compensation committee, said in a statement.

"There is a clear, well-defined and constantly updated succession plan for the roles of CEO and Deputy CEO and for all top positions, which, in line with the founder's vision, favors internal growth paths and has already proven its strength," Zappia added.

He added the management team supporting Milleri - who was Del Vecchio's closest aide and chairs Delfin, the holding company that holds the family's EssilorLuxottica stake and other investments - had recently been reinforced and included "high-quality managers who can continue to grow".

On Tuesday, Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio said his late father had tasked Milleri with leading the succession at the helm of the family's business empire, adding the EssilorLuxottica CEO had failed to fulfill such a mandate.

Milleri comes up for renewal as CEO of EssilorLuxottica at the next general meeting, which is expected to be held in the spring.

(Reporting by Elisa Anzoli; Editing by Valentina Za)