Chaumet
French luxury conglomerate LVMH’s high-end jewelry brand Chaumet announces the appointment of Charles Leung as CEO, succeeding Jean-Marc Mansvelt, who has been in office since 2014.
Charles Leung
In his new role, Charles Leung will be responsible for “continuing to lead Chaumet’s global expansion strategy.”
Charles Leung served at Chaumet from 2006 to 2018, initially as the brand’s General Manager for the Asia-Pacific region, leading the brand’s expansion into the Chinese market, and was promoted in October 2012 to Vice President of International Sales and Distribution.
In 2018, he was appointed as the global CEO of another LVMH jewelry brand, Fred, becoming the first Asian and Chinese person to hold the top leadership position in an LVMH luxury brand.
Chaumet emphasized in a press release that Charles Leung “played a key role in leading Fred to turn losses into profits, achieving strong sales, improving profitability, and strengthening brand image and market attractiveness.”
Now 53, Charles Leung grew up in Hong Kong, China, and graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and ESSEC Business School in Paris. His career began at the Swiss luxury giant Richemont’s jewelry brand Cartier, where he worked in the marketing and retail departments for 10 years.
Berluti
LVMH Group’s brand Berluti announces Jean-Marc Mansvelt as CEO. Meanwhile, Antoine Arnault will step down as CEO of Berluti but will remain as the Chairman of the Board.
Jean-Marc Mansvelt
In January 2015, Jean-Marc Mansvelt joined CHAUMET as Global CEO.
Jean-Marc Mansvelt graduated from HEC Business School and previously worked at the French beauty giant L’Oréal, responsible for the marketing department of the luxury beauty division. He has been working at LVMH Group since 1994, serving as the marketing director of the Louis Vuitton leather goods division, responsible for establishing the department and participating in the development of new leather goods collections. Four years later, he was promoted to General Manager of the Louis Vuitton Leather Goods and Accessories Division.
This is part of a series of executive changes within the LVMH Group. Stéphane Bianchi, CEO of LVMH’s Watches and Jewelry Division, will assume the role of General Manager and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the group from April 19, succeeding the departing Antonio Belloni (i.e., Toni Belloni).
As of now, LVMH Group has not announced Stéphane Bianchi’s successor.
Kering
On April 2, French luxury giant Kering announced on Tuesday that it has added two female members to its Executive Committee, namely Chief Strategy Officer Mélanie Flouquet and Chief Financial Officer Armelle Poulou. This nomination takes immediate effect, bringing the committee’s total membership to 13, with women making up 46%.
Chief Strategy Officer Mélanie Flouquet joined Kering in May 2021. Before that, she had worked at J.P. Morgan for 20 years, leaving as the Managing Director leading the luxury goods equity research team. She graduated from the EM Lyon Business School and Lancaster University and is also a chartered accountant in the UK, having interned at KPMG.
Mélanie Flouquet (left) and Armelle Poulou (right)
Chief Financial Officer Armelle Poulou took office in September 2023, succeeding Jean-Marc Duplaix in the management reshuffle as Deputy CEO responsible for operations and finance. Armelle Poulou graduated from the French business school HEC in 1993 and worked at the French state-owned multinational electric utility company EDF for over twenty years. In 2019, she joined Kering as the director of corporate finance, finance, and insurance.
Additionally, at the annual general meeting on April 25, Kering will also nominate three new independent directors, Rachel Duan, Giovanna Melandri, and Dominique D’Hinnin, to the board. This nomination follows the departure of Tidjane Thiam, a former executive in the Ivorian banking industry, who decided to leave to pursue a political career.
Christie’s
Francois Louis Nicolas Pinault, a third-generation member of the Pinault family controlling the French luxury giant Kering, has joined the family’s top international auction house Christie’s as a director at the age of 26.
Francois Louis Nicolas Pinault is the eldest son of Kering’s head, François-Henri Pinault, and is taking over the director’s seat at Christie’s from his 87-year-old grandfather, Francois Pinault.
Francois Pinault is the founder of Kering’s predecessor, the Pinault-Printemps-Redoute Group. His eldest son, François-Henri Pinault, took over management from his father in 2005, renaming the group to PPR and then to Kering in 2013.
Since François-Henri Pinault took over, Francois Pinault has focused on art collection and the operations of three private museums in Europe. Before this appointment, Francois Louis Nicolas Pinault had already been serving as a director of the Pinault Collection museum in Paris.
Founded in 1766 in London, Christie’s was acquired by the Pinault family’s holding company, Artemis SA, in 1998.
Besides Christie’s, Artemis SA holds shares in a range of entities including Kering, sports brand Puma SE (Puma), a series of renowned vineyards, cruise companies, news magazines, and technology companies. Last year, Artemis also announced the acquisition of a majority stake in the celebrity agency Creative Artists Agency.
| Source: Official press releases, FashionNetwork
| Image Credit: Websites and official LinkedIn of each brand/group, personal LinkedIn and Instagram of executives
| Editor: Liu Jun
