LVMH Group
French luxury conglomerate LVMH has appointed Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of Bulgari, as CEO of the group’s Watch Division, effective April 1. He succeeds Frédéric Arnault, who recently stepped down from the role.
(Frédéric Arnault, the third son of LVMH Chairman Bernard Arnault, was appointed CEO of Italian luxury brand Loro Piana under the LVMH umbrella on March 26.)
In his new role, Jean-Christophe Babin will continue to implement the existing strategy for the development and elevation of the group’s three high-end watch brands—Hublot, TAG Heuer, and Zenith—reporting to LVMH Group Managing Director Stéphane Bianchi.
LVMH emphasized that the appointment reflects Babin’s achievements during his 12 years at TAG Heuer and since 2013 at Bulgari.
A graduate of HEC Paris, Jean-Christophe Babin began his career at Procter & Gamble France. He later held positions at consumer goods companies including Benckiser and Henkel in Italy. In 2001, he joined LVMH as CEO of TAG Heuer. In 2013, he became CEO of Bulgari, the Italian luxury jewelry brand acquired by LVMH in 2011.
Moncler Group / Double R
Italian luxury group Moncler’s holding company, Double R Srl, has proposed the appointment of Alexandre Arnault to its board of directors. Alexandre Arnault, the second son of LVMH Chairman Bernard Arnault, currently serves as Executive Vice President at Moët Hennessy.
According to the proposed board renewal list submitted by the company, Remo Ruffini will remain CEO of Double R Srl. Alexandre Arnault is set to succeed Carlo Rivetti, former President and major shareholder of Stone Island, on the board.
The proposed board changes will be put to a vote at the shareholders’ meeting on April 16.
Double R Srl’s proposed list includes 13 members. In addition to Remo Ruffini and Alexandre Arnault, it features:
Current board members:
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Marco De Benedetti (Vice Chairman and Non-Executive Director)
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Robert Philippe Eggs
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Luciano Santel
Current independent directors:
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Bettina Fetzer (Vice President of Communications and Marketing at Mercedes-Benz)
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Alessandra Gritti (Co-founder, Vice Chair, and Executive Director at Tamburi Investment Partners S.p.A.)
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Gabriele Galateri di Genola (former Chairman of Telecom Italia S.p.A.)
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Diva Moriani (Executive Chairwoman of Intek Group S.p.A.)
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Maria Sharapova (tennis champion, investor, and entrepreneur)
Newly nominated candidates:
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Sue Y. Nabi (CEO of beauty group Coty)
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François-Henry Bennahmias (former CEO of Audemars Piguet)
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Geoffroy van Raemdonck (CEO of Neiman Marcus Group)
In addition, institutional investors have submitted a separate candidate list, including Cesare Conti, Anna Zanardi, and Susanna Dorigoni.
Christofle
French heritage silverware house Christofle has announced that CEO and President Emilie Viargues has stepped down. She will be succeeded by Hamdi Chatti.
Above: Hamdi Chatti
After completing his university education, Hamdi Chatti continued his studies at the University of Neuchâtel. He joined Cartier in 1993 as a Product Manager and later held roles at Piaget, Montblanc International, and Harry Winston. From 2009 to 2018, he served as Vice President of Watches and Jewelry at Louis Vuitton. He later worked at Damas Jewellery, CHRONEXT, and LVMH Luxury Ventures. Between 2023 and 2025, he served as a Board Advisor to Christian Louboutin. Since 2018, he has also been a board member at Gübelin.
Emilie Viargues holds an MBA from HEC Paris. She joined Christofle in 2021 and became CEO and President the following year. Her previous roles included positions at the Grand Chancellery of the Legion of Honour and the Réunion des Musées Nationaux (RMN) in France.
Mulberry
Ian Earnshaw, Chief Commercial Officer of British accessible luxury leather goods brand Mulberry, has stepped down.
Earnshaw joined the brand in 2013 and assumed his most recent position in 2022. During his tenure, he also served as Commercial Director and held other executive roles. Prior to joining Mulberry, he worked at brands including Burberry, Banana Republic, Club 21, and Zara.
｜Sources: Official press releases, Fashion Network, Bloomberg, personal social media accounts
｜Image Credit: Company websites, personal social media accounts
｜Editor: LeZhi
