LVMH
Antonio Belloni (Toni Belloni) is set to step down as the Group Managing Director and Executive Committee Chairman of French luxury giant LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, with Stéphane Bianchi, the current CEO of LVMH’s Watches and Jewelry division, poised to take over.
Pictured left: Antonio Belloni; Pictured right: Stéphane Bianchi
After the annual shareholders’ meeting on April 18, Antonio Belloni will also exit the board of directors. Aged 69, Belloni’s career commenced in the fast-moving consumer goods industry with the American Procter & Gamble Group, where he held the position of Chairman of Procter & Gamble Europe from 1999. He joined LVMH in 2001, overseeing the strategic and operational management of its brands and supervising regional market presidents, among other responsibilities.
Moving forward, Antonio Belloni will collaborate with the group’s leader, Bernard Arnault, on specific strategic initiatives and will additionally serve as the President of LVMH Italy.
Stéphane Bianchi, born on January 10, 1965, in France, embarked on his professional journey as a consulting advisor at Arthur Andersen following his graduation from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris. He joined LVMH in 2018 as the CEO of TAG Heuer and the watch division, co-managing the brand with Bernard Arnault’s son, Frédéric Arnault. Over time, his role expanded, leading to his promotion in November 2021 as the CEO of the Watches and Jewelry division and his inclusion in the executive committee.
Furthermore, Wei Christianson, the former Co-CEO of Asia Pacific and CEO of China for Morgan Stanley, has been appointed as a director of the LVMH Group.
Wei Christianson completed her undergraduate studies in China before pursuing a master’s degree at Amherst College in the United States and a Juris Doctor degree at Columbia Law School. She began her legal career in New York State as an attorney at the international law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe.
Prior to her tenure at Morgan Stanley, Christianson held the position of Assistant Director at the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), where she was actively involved in formulating regulations concerning the listing of H-shares on the Hong Kong stock market.
In 1998, Christianson joined Morgan Stanley’s investment banking division. During the period from 1998 to 2002, she played a pivotal role in facilitating the initial overseas listings of Chinese companies.
Between 2002 and 2005, she assumed the role of Chair of the Board for Credit Suisse in China before transitioning to Citigroup’s Global Markets division. In 2006, Wei returned to Morgan Stanley as the CEO for China and was appointed as a member of the firm’s management committee in 2007. Additionally, she held the position of Co-CEO of Asia Pacific until her retirement in 2021. Furthermore, she served as a board member of the American cosmetics powerhouse Estée Lauder for a span of 12 years.
LA PRAIRIE
The Swiss luxury skincare brand La Prairie announced the appointment of Estelle Létang as CEO, effective from April 1.
In her new role, Estelle Létang will be responsible for driving La Prairie’s strategic direction and long-term vision, as well as overseeing the day-to-day management of the company, including business operations, commercial priorities, and the infrastructure of all company functions, international branches, and global distributor markets.
Estelle Létang will be based in Zurich, reporting directly to Patrick Rasquinet, a member of the Executive Board of Beiersdorf AG, the parent company of La Prairie.
Estelle Létang has over 21 years of experience with the American beauty giant Estée Lauder Companies. Her career started at Darphin and included roles in New York, Paris, and Hong Kong, where she became the Vice President/General Manager for Asia Pacific of La Mer and Jo Malone. In 2016, she moved to London to serve as the Vice President/International General Manager of Jo Malone, and from 2020, she was the General Manager of Estée Lauder Companies for the Middle East, based in Dubai.
David Yurman
The American luxury jewelry and watch company David Yurman announced the appointments of Chris Clipper as Chief Financial Officer and Robert Lepere as Chief People Officer.
Pictured left: Chris Clipper; Pictured right: Robert Lepere
In his new role, Chris Clipper is responsible for overseeing the company’s financial strategy and operations, reporting directly to Evan Yurman, the company’s President and Chief Creative Officer. With a career that began in investment banking, Clipper has over 25 years of financial experience, having served as CFO for Ralph Lauren North America, Nike North America, and Warner Media.
As Chief People Officer, Robert Lepere will oversee all aspects of the company’s Human Resources and Culture departments, including talent acquisition, learning, development, and HR operations, reporting to Chief Administrative Officer Emily Yueh. With approximately 25 years of retail HR experience, Lepere has served as Chief People Officer for companies such as Casper and Fullbeauty Brands and held executive positions at ascena Retail Group and Gap, Inc.
Brandart
The Italian company Brandart, which provides packaging and marketing solutions for fashion and luxury brands, announced Massimo Paloni as CEO.
Massimo Paloni will succeed Brandart’s founder and CEO, Maurizio Sedgh, who will continue as President.
Holding a degree in Business Administration and Economics from the University of Rome La Sapienza, as well as a master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation from MIT, Massimo Paloni has over 20 years of experience in the luxury industry. He began his career with the French IT group Atos and joined the Italian luxury jewelry brand BVLGARI (part of LVMH) in 2001, where he held executive positions in technology, strategic planning, logistics, and innovation, becoming Chief Operating Officer and Chief Innovation Officer in 2020.
Brandart was founded in 1998 in Busto Arsizio, north of Milan, and specializes in producing packaging and marketing tools for fashion brands and industries such as accessories, eyewear, watches, jewelry, makeup, wine, and spirits. It has offices in Milan, Paris, New York, and Guangzhou. In September of the previous year, the company sold a 25% stake to the French alternative asset management company Tikehau Capital.
| Source: Bloomberg, FashionNetwork, official press releases
| Image Credit: Respective group’s official website
| Editor: LeZhi
