At first glance, I disagree with your earlier comment. Hermes is a publicly traded company (Euronext RMS) and has been for a while. Similar to what any other public company does, they have investor calls and presentations, either to the public or in private with key shareholders, to discuss strategy and plans for growth.
Also, Exane BNP Paribas is a joint venture between Exane and BNP Paribas. I don't know too much about Exane, but BNP is one of the top 3 investment banks in France. I haven't heard of this Luca Solca person, but my first impression is that he can't be an idiot if he's had a
lengthy career at many top name firms.
Now granted, I think a few of his comments in the article are rather near-sighted. A simple Google search will show that GPs and Picos are much more than he thinks, but anecdotes on even this forum will show that it's much easier to be shown a Birkin as a man than a woman. However, I believe the majority of his article is correct. People who buy H scarves are either silk aficionados or people who want an "entry level" H item, but H has marketed itself so well that both group of clients walk away feeling pleased with their purchases. Also, for this second group of people, there's a business opportunity for H to start graduating them from accessories to more lucrative sales.
I do appreciate his hypothetical comparison to another large French luxury retailer. If H goods were as easy to find in every H store as Vuitton's are, would there be the same level obsession? For me, probably not. Half the fun for me when shopping at H is never knowing what I'll find in a store and the excitement of tracking down an item or colorway.