New York (CNN Business) Gucci has hired a new person to oversee its diversity and inclusion efforts following the disastrous publicity it received for selling a racist sweater.

The Italian fashion house announced Tuesday that it has hired Renée Tirado as its new global head of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Tirado will be in charge of designing and implementing a new strategy to "create a more inclusive and equitable workplace and increase workforce diversity," Gucci said in a release.

Tirado's addition to Gucci's executive team is part of its diversity and inclusion plan that it established in February, the same month the company ignited worldwide uproar for selling a sweater that many said resembles blackface because of its design. The top in question was a black turtleneck sweater that pulls up over the bottom half of the face with a cut out and oversized red lips around the mouth.

Gucci apologized , saying in a statement at the time that it's "fully committed to increasing diversity throughout our organization and turning this incident into a powerful learning moment for the Gucci team and beyond." The company subsequently launched a fellowship program to recruit more people of color and hire more directors for inclusion programs, as well as a scholarship program.

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