Kering
On June 7, French luxury giant Kering appointed Laurent Claquin as the Group’s Chief Brand Officer, effective July 1, 2024. According to a press release, Claquin will join the Executive Committee and report to Jean-Marc Duplaix, Deputy CEO responsible for operations and finance.
Kering stated that the creation of the Chief Brand Officer role aims to enhance the attractiveness, visibility, and influence of the company’s brands. Achieving this goal requires consistent messaging across all touchpoints, and Claquin’s responsibility is to define and coordinate Kering’s internal and external communications in all markets, following a unified agenda and strategy. In this role, Claquin will support brand operations by expanding communication efforts and organizing major events when appropriate.
Laurent Claquin
Laurent Claquin graduated from Rennes School of Business, Exeter University, and Paris VIII University. He began his career as a consultant at PwC and accumulated extensive experience in positions at the Palais de la Découverte, the Pompidou Center, and as the Chief of Staff at the French Ministry of Culture and Communication. Claquin joined Kering in 2005, holding several leadership roles, including Senior Vice President of Communications and Head of Corporate Social Responsibility. Since 2012, he has served as President of Kering Americas. From 2017 to 2018, he also served as CEO of the designer brand Tomas Maier, then under the Kering Group.
LVMH Group
On June 7, as part of the group’s executive reorganization, French luxury giant LVMH Group announced the appointment of Cécile Cabanis as the next Chief Financial Officer. Currently, Cabanis will serve as Deputy CFO, reporting to the current CFO, Jean-Jacques Guiony, as they gradually transition responsibilities. Guiony’s new role will be announced in due course.
Throughout her career, Cécile Cabanis has held several significant financial positions, particularly focusing on mergers and acquisitions and financial communications. She previously worked for 17 years at the French food manufacturer Danone.
Cécile Cabanis
This appointment is the latest move in LVMH Group’s generational leadership transition. On Thursday, Bernard Arnault, Chairman and CEO of LVMH, appointed his third son, Frederic Arnault, as Managing Director of Financiere Agache, one of the Arnault family’s holding companies that manage LVMH.
LVMH stated in a release, “Succession planning for key positions is a strategic priority for the LVMH Group.”
Estée Lauder
Recently, according to the Wall Street Journal, despite disappointing performance and internal family disagreements on the company’s direction, the board of Estée Lauder decided in a late May meeting to extend Fabrizio Freda‘s tenure, retaining him as CEO. This move aims to stabilize operations and prepare for succession.
At 66, Fabrizio Freda, who joined from Procter & Gamble (P&G) in 2009, succeeded William Lauder, grandson of founders Joseph and Estée Lauder, as CEO and has led the group for 15 years. Despite his compensation dropping from $66 million in 2021 to $21.8 million in 2023, he remains one of the highest-paid executives in the beauty industry.
Fabrizio Freda
Last year, Estée Lauder’s stock price fell by about 30%, losing over $22 billion in market value, reflecting the group’s loss of market share, especially poor sales performance in the Chinese market.
Rinascente
From June 1, Mariella Elia has taken on the role of Managing Director of Italian luxury department store Rinascente, while retaining her positions as CFO and Director of Logistics. All members of the Rinascente management committee will report to her, preparing the company to face future challenges and positioning Rinascente as a Media Company and House of Brands. Pierluigi Cocchini remains the company’s CEO.
Mariella Elia
Mariella Elia’s career began in tax positions, then moved to Carrefour Italia and Conad. She also worked for McDonald’s Italia in administrative, financial, and control roles, eventually becoming COO. Since 2017, Elia has served as CFO, Chief Digital Officer, and Director of Logistics at Rinascente.
Galeries Lafayette
Recently, French department store chain Galeries Lafayette announced the appointment of Emmanuelle Greth as Head of Human Resources and Sustainable Development, effective June 4. She will join the Executive Committee and report to Managing Director Nicolas Houzé.
In her new role, Greth’s mission is to “support talent management and change management within the company, continue to promote Galeries Lafayette as an attractive employer, and ensure that employees fully support the company’s ongoing transformation, striving to make the company a leader in sustainable retail in France.”
Emmanuelle Greth
Emmanuelle Greth holds a Master’s degree in Social Law from Panthéon Assas University and a Master’s in Human Resources from CELSA. Her career began at HP, followed by 12 years as HR Director at Canal+. She then joined Louvre Hôtels Group as Acting HR Director and was later promoted to HR Director. In 2015, she joined Guerlain as Head of HR and moved to Sephora in 2020, responsible for HR in Europe and the Middle East.
Currently, Galeries Lafayette has 57 department stores in France, including 19 self-operated stores and 38 franchises. Outside France, Galeries Lafayette operates nine department stores and plans to open two more in Mumbai and New Delhi, India.
DFS Group
Recently, Catherine Newey, head of Le Bon Marché, a department store under the LVMH Group, replaced Eléonore de Boysson as Managing Director of the DFS Group’s European subsidiary, effective June 17. Newey will report to DFS Group CEO Benjamin Vuchot.
Eléonore de Boysson, who worked for LVMH Group for 25 years, decided to seek opportunities outside the group. Elodie Abrial, currently responsible for women’s fashion at Le Bon Marché, will replace Newey as Sales Director.
In an internal memo, LVMH stated that Newey’s responsibilities include “formulating the strategic direction for DFS’s European operations and enhancing the customer experience.”
Catherine Newey
Catherine Newey graduated from Paris Dauphine University and ESCP-EAP Business School with a major in marketing. She has extensive experience in luxury and retail. In 1997, she began her career at L’Oréal Group, as Assistant Product Manager for Lancôme cosmetics and perfumes. A year later, she joined Printemps, then under PPR Group (now Kering), as a watch product manager. She continuously advanced in the department store and was promoted to Deputy Purchasing Director in 2012. In 2014, she joined LVMH Group, initially as Accessories Purchasing Director for Louis Vuitton, and then transferred to Le Bon Marché in 2017.
The DFS Group suffered a major blow due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which paralyzed air travel and tourism. Industry media indicated that Newey’s appointment aims to inject new momentum into DFS’s European operations.
｜Source: Group/brand official websites, executive LinkedIn profiles, Fashion Network, Financial Times, Morningstar, Dow Jones Newswires, ANSA, Fashionmagazine.it
｜Image Credit: Group/brand official websites, executive LinkedIn profiles
｜Editor: LeZhi
