LVMH
French luxury conglomerate LVMH has appointed Frédéric Arnault as CEO of its watch division, overseeing TAG Heuer, Hublot, and Zenith brands, effective from January 1.
Frédéric, the fourth child of LVMH Chairman Bernard Arnault, is an École Polytechnique graduate. He began his career at Facebook, then joined McKinsey & Company. In early 2017, he entered LVMH, handling TAG Heuer’s smartwatch business; in October 2018, he became TAG Heuer’s Chief Strategy and Digital Officer, leading the brand’s transformation and digitalization; and in July 2020, he was appointed CEO of TAG Heuer.
In his new role, Frédéric will continue reporting to Stéphane Bianchi, CEO of LVMH’s watch and jewelry division.
Meanwhile, TAG Heuer’s CEO role will be taken over by Julien Tornare, who has been the CEO of Zenith since 2017. Benoit de Clerck, a veteran in the watch industry with 25 years at Swiss luxury group Richemont, recently Chief Commercial Officer at Panerai, will succeed Tornare as Zenith’s CEO. These personnel changes aim to further strengthen LVMH’s watch business.
LVMH does not disclose individual brand data, but Morgan Stanley estimated TAG Heuer’s turnover reached approximately 780 million euros in 2022, growing 50% from 2020 to 2023.
In October 2022, Frédéric Arnault, in an exclusive interview with Luxeplace, expressed confidence in TAG Heuer’s future: “Our medium-term goal is to return to the top five Swiss watch brands in terms of sales.”
Vogue
Condé Nast announced the appointment of Raul Martinez as Global Creative Director of Vogue, reporting to Global Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour, effective February 5.
This marks Martinez’s second return to Condé Nast. He first joined Vogue 35 years ago in 1988 as an Associate Art Director, left in 1996 to found AR New York, a creative agency. He returned to Condé Nast in 2009, appointed as Chief Creative Officer in 2015, and left in 2021 to join Victoria’s Secret as Creative Director. A veteran photographer, Martinez has received the American National Magazine Award for Photography.
Condé Nast’s press release emphasizes Martinez’s role in overseeing Vogue’s creative direction globally and guiding its visual approach across all platforms, including a key role in supporting video work.
Valentino
Italian luxury brand Valentino has announced the appointment of Matteo Di Pasquale as Chief Human Resources Officer.
Di Pasquale joined Valentino in June 2021 as Director of Compensation and Benefits, managing salary, HR cost control, benefits plans, and travel departments. In July 2023, he became the interim Chief Human Resources Officer. His appointment, effective from January 1, has him reporting to CEO Jacopo Venturini.
Di Pasquale, a LUISS Guido Carli graduate with a Young Leaders Program degree from ESMT Berlin, brings extensive experience from his roles in HR departments at Accenture, Hay Group, Mercedes-Benz, and AbbVie.
K-Swiss
Chinese group Xtep International’s American sports shoe brand K-Swiss appointed Andrew Richard as Vice President of Lifestyle.
Richard will lead the brand’s lifestyle sales in the Americas, including wholesale sales teams and distributors, reporting to Barney Waters, who rejoined K-Swiss in November as International Brand President.
Prior to joining K-Swiss, Richard served as Vice President/General Manager North America for footwear retailer FootBalance System. Previously, he held leadership roles in product marketing, business planning, and sales at various shoe companies. These roles included: Vice President of Business in North America for Asics; Global Head of Footwear Marketing at Puma Group; Senior Director of Footwear Marketing for North America at Timberland; National Sales Director for Department Stores at Reebok; and Strategic Channels and Major Account Manager at Nike.
Xtep International Holdings acquired K-Swiss for $260 million in 2019 from E-Land Footwear Holdings in the US. Xtep’s portfolio also includes Saucony, Merrell, Palladium, and Xtep.
Caruso
China’s Fosun Group’s Italian luxury menswear brand Caruso announced the appointment of Max Kibardin as Creative Director.
Born in 1976 in Russia, Kibardin launched his own footwear brand in 2005, establishing a strong international reputation. He studied architecture in Moscow and fashion at Milan’s Marangoni Institute, then moved to Paris, starting his fashion career under Karl Lagerfeld.
Before this appointment, Kibardin collaborated with Caruso on several product lines.
GOZEN
San Francisco-based biotech startup GOZEN announced the appointment of Dr. Sedef Uncu Aki as the new Chief Product Officer.
With over 20 years in sustainable development and textile innovation, Dr. Aki was previously Director of Product Development and Research at ORTA before her general manager role at BOSSA, a textile company valued at over $200 million.
At GOZEN, she will lead the development and commercialization of the new biobased material LUNAFORM™, a vegan, eco-friendly material from microbial byproducts, developed over two years in collaboration with Balenciaga.
| Source: Official press releases, Reuters, Financial Times, Fashionnetwork, spinoff
| Image Credit: Official press releases, LinkedIn
| Editor: LeZhi
